NORTHERN IRELAND

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many parliamentary questions tabled to her Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

Theresa Villiers: None.

SCOTLAND

Companies

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he holds on the proportion of companies in (a) Glasgow North West, (b) Glasgow and (c) Scotland are ultimately owned by companies based in (i) Scotland, (ii) other parts of the UK, (iii) other countries in the EU and (iv) outside the EU.

David Mundell: According to Glasgow city council figures (November 2013), there are approximately 18,000 businesses in Glasgow. The Scotland Office holds no information on the ownership nationality of companies located in neither Glasgow North West nor Glasgow.
	However, across the UK as a whole, over 99% of private sector businesses will be small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and ownership for these is therefore highly likely to be based locally.
	In 2013, registered private sector enterprises with ultimate ownership outside Scotland accounted for 3.1% of firms. These are disproportionately larger firms and so account for over 35% of employment. This suggests that 96.9% of businesses in Scotland have Scottish ownership, accounting for 64.8% of employment.

Companies

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the revenue generated in Scotland by companies that have their headquarters (a) in Scotland and (b) outside of Scotland.

David Mundell: There are no estimates of the number of companies headquartered in Scotland, of the 343,105 enterprises operating in Scotland, as at March 2013. Registered private sector enterprises with ultimate ownership outside Scotland accounted for 3.1% of firms, and 58.1% of turnover. This means that 41.9% of business turnover in Scotland is generated by enterprises with ownership in Scotland. These figures come from the Scottish Government publication “Businesses in Scotland 2013”.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many parliamentary questions tabled to the Church Commissioners in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

Tony Baldry: All written questions tabled to the Church Commissioners received a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation

PRIME MINISTER

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what his objectives are for discussions on human rights with the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang during his visit to the UK this month;
	(2)  if he will discuss climate change with his Chinese counterpart during his visit to the UK;
	(3)  what discussions he has had on the Government's Action Plan on Business and Human Rights in advance of the visit by his Chinese counterpart to the UK.

David Cameron: I plan to hold wide-ranging discussions with Premier Li. We have a foreign policy that is based on our values, and we consistently raise them with the Chinese Government, including during high level dialogues.
	I am very supportive of the business and human rights agenda, and action against climate change is a priority for the Government.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Office in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

Nicholas Clegg: Sixteen parliamentary questions, all of which were tabled to my Office one day before prorogation in the last parliamentary session, did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average weekly gross earnings of (a) men, (b) women and (c) people in full-time employment in Peterborough was (i) in cash terms and (ii) at constant prices in each year since 2006-07.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson dated June 2014
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average weekly gross earnings of (a) men, (b) women and (c) people in full time employment in Peterborough was (i) in cash terms and (ii) at constant prices in each year since 2006-07 (200316).
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.
	I attach a table showing median gross weekly earnings for men, women and full-time employees in Peterborough between April 2006 and April 2013, in current and constant (2013) prices.
	
		
			 Median gross weekly earnings for male, female and all employees1 in Peterborough between April 2006 and April 2013, in cash prices and constant (2013) prices 
			  Cash prices Constant (2013) prices 
			  Full-time employees Full-time males Full-time females Full-time employees Full-time males Full-time females 
			 2006 422.9 471.5 *345.8 523.5 583.7 428.1 
			 2007 441.8 490.4 *365.5 532.3 590.8 440.3 
			 2008 452.3 480.7 *362.5 529.2 562.5 424.2 
			 2009 467.9 519.0 *388.2 535.0 593.5 443.9 
			 2010 487.4 525.3 *400.4 537.3 579.1 441.4 
			 20112, 4 469.5 521.1 392.1 495.5 549.9 413.8 
			 20113, 4 469.2 518.7 390.9 495.2 547.4 412.5 
			 2012 479.6 *541.4 400.7 491.3 554.6 410.5 
			 2013 496.4 *557.2 426.0 496.4 557.2 426.0 
			 1 Employee jobs are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed. Figures relate to employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. ASHE is based on a 1% sample of jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once. 2 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. 3 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. 4 Estimates for years prior to 2011 are based on SOC 2000 and estimates for years after 2011 are based on SOC 2010. Figures are only considered to be directly comparable if they are based on the same SOC. Notes: Guide to quality: The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure; the smaller the CV value, the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key CV <= 5% * CV > 5% and <=10% It has not been possible to calculate the coefficients of variation for the constant price earnings estimates. The Consumer Prices Index has been used to deflate the ASHE earnings estimates. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Charities: Directors

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many directors of national charities were in receipt of annual salaries, pensions and other payments in excess of £150,000 in 2012-13.

Nick Hurd: Charity accounting rules require disclosure of charity employees in each £10,000 income band over £60,000. Copies of registered charities' accounts are available for inspection on the Charity Commission's website.

Civil Servants: Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to publish a new diversity strategy for the civil service.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 434W.

Nigeria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether Ministers or officials of his Department have (a) met the Attorney-General of Nigeria since January 2012 and (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney-General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian Government.

Francis Maude: Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at gov.uk.
	Information on meetings by other officials is not held centrally.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what visits (a) each of the Ministers in his Department, (b) the Prime Minister and (c) the Deputy Prime Minister have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Francis Maude: Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

Social Security Benefits

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the effect of the exclusion of universal credit claimants on the overall claimant count for data published in (a) February, (b) March, (c) April and (d) May 2014.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Caron Walker, dated June 2014
	On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the exclusion of universal credit claimants on the overall claimant count published in (a) February, (b) March, (c) April and (d) May 2014. (199848)
	In the months from February to May 2014, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published provisional Claimant Count levels and changes for the periods January to April 2014. The figures for each month relate to a count date on the second Thursday of the month, e.g. the January figure relates to 9 January and the April figure 10 April. The published Claimant Count figures do not include claimants of Universal Credit.
	The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) publish experimental official statistics for Universal Credit relating to the last day of each month. The latest release, published on 16 June, includes statistics up to 31 March 2014.
	The DWP experimental official statistics relating to Universal Credit currently include all claimants of that benefit. Although claimants can currently only enter Universal Credit as a jobseeker, they would remain in Universal Credit when their circumstances change, such as when they move into work. Consequently the total number of claimants of Universal Credit is an overestimate of the effect of the exclusion of universal credit on the overall claimant count. DWP are not yet able to publish statistics isolating the number of jobseekers within the overall Universal Credit caseload.
	The table shows the Claimant Count for January to April 2014 alongside the total number of claimants of Universal Credit for December 2013 to March 2014, the closest matching periods. Although this table gives an indication of the upper limit of possible impact of Universal Credit claimants not being included in the Claimant Count at a national level, the nature of the rollout being introduced at individual Jobcentre Plus Offices would mean that this impact is currently focused in a limited number of geographic areas.
	As announced in the Labour Market Statistics Bulletin, June 2014, a new table will be introduced to the release next month which will present the available Universal Credit statistics alongside the Claimant Count figures. This table will help users to understand the extent of the impact on the Claimant Count from Universal Credit claimants not being included.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Comparison between the claimant count1 and universal credit2 caseload 
			 Thousand 
			 Reference date Level Change on month 
			 Claimant count1   
			 9 January 2014 1,206.5 -32.0 
			 13 February 2014 1,171.7 -34.8 
			 13 March 2014 1,141.8 -29.9 
			 10 April 2014 1,113.4 -28.4 
			    
			 Universal credit2   
			 31 December 2013 3.8 0.5 
			 31 January 2014 4.7 0.9 
			 28 February 2014 5.3 0.5 
			 31 March 2014 5.6 0.4 
			 1 Claimant count figures do not currently include claimants of universal credit. 2 Universal credit figures include all claimants of this benefit and are not limited to jobseekers. Consequently these figures represent an over-count of the number of universal credit claimants that should be included within the claimant count. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System.

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 Prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

Francis Maude: One parliamentary question, which was tabled the day before Prorogation, did not receive a substantive answer.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Charitable Donations

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the amount of philanthropic giving to arts and heritage organisations in each region and constituent part of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: In 2011-12, according to Arts & Business, overall philanthropic giving to the cultural sector grew by 7.6% on the previous year to £660.5 million. The breakdown of this total shows £536 million of private investment in culture in London and £125 million in the non-London English regions. Although London is always likely to attract a greater proportion of philanthropic giving, there are many examples of arts organisations successfully encouraging philanthropy and private investment across the country. DCMS has been working closely with Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund and the cultural sector, through the £100 million Catalyst scheme, to help improve fundraising capacity and ensure organisations have the skills required to cultivate philanthropy.

Broadband: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Welsh Assembly Government on the broadband rollout programme in Wales.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has not discussed broadband rollout with his counterpart in the Welsh Assembly Government, since being appointed on 9 April 2014.
	However, DCMS officials have weekly discussions with Welsh Assembly officials on this subject.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Helen Grant: The table shows the proportion of staff, within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years and who have declared themselves as white British.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Percentage of DCMS headcount who have been subject to disciplinary proceedings Proportion of staff subject to disciplinary proceedings who declared themselves as white British Proportion of staff subject to disciplinary proceedings who declared their nationality as British but ethnicity is undeclared 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 0.2 100 0 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 0.7 67 33 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 0.4 50 50 
			 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 0.3 100 0 
			 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 0.8 67 33 
			 Note: The figures as they relate to the period from September 2012 include the Government Equalities Office, which joined the Department in that month as part of a machinery of government move. Before September 2012, the Government Equalities Office was part of the Home Office and the information requested for this period is not available.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Helen Grant: The following table shows the proportion of staff within the Department for Culture, media and Sport who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years and declared themselves as white British.
	
		
			  Percentage of DCMS headcount who have been dismissed Proportion of staff dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings who declared themselves as white British (percentage) Proportion of staff subject to disciplinary proceedings who declared their nationality as British but ethnicity is undeclared (percentage) 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 0 — — 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 0 — — 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 0.2 100 0 
			 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 0 — — 
			 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 0 — — 
		
	
	The figures as they relate to the period from September 2012 include the Government Equalities Office, which joined the Department in that month as part of a machinery of government move. Before September 2012, the Government Equalities Office was part of the Home Office and the information requested for this period is not available.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Helen Grant: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which includes the Government Equalities Office, has no specific targets for increasing employee diversity. DCMS publishes its employee diversity information on data.gov.uk annually. The most recent diversity information can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237397/DCMS_Equality_Workforce_Data_2012-2013.csv/preview

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Helen Grant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Local Broadcasting: South East

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local digital service licences have been awarded in Kent and Medway.

Edward Vaizey: The independent regulator Ofcom, is responsible for allocating commercial TV and radio licences. Ofcom has received two applications to operate a local TV service in the Maidstone area on the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform and anticipates making a decision about the award of this licence in the summer.
	The licence to operate the DAB radio multiplex covering Kent was awarded in 2003. The Kent DAB multiplex currently carries the following stations:
	BBC Radio Kent;
	Capital;
	Heart Kent;
	Kmfm;
	Smooth Kent;
	Xfm; and
	Pop Up radio.

Local Broadcasting: South East

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to encourage local media and regional broadcasting in Kent and Medway.

Edward Vaizey: Government recognise the important role local media play in communities, and have created the foundations for new local TV services to establish themselves and enrich UK television with quality local news and programming. Ofcom has received applications for a local TV licence in Maidstone, and we expect an award to be made soon. More widely, 25 local TV services have been licensed to date, and further launches will take place over the summer and autumn.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities what proportion of staff within the Government Equalities Office who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Helen Grant: The following table shows the proportion of staff, within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years and who have declared themselves as white British.
	
		
			  Percentage of DCMS headcount who have been subject to disciplinary proceedings Proportion of staff subject to disciplinary proceedings who declared themselves as white British Proportion of staff subject to disciplinary proceedings who declared their nationality as British but ethnicity is undeclared 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 0.2 100 0 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 0.7 67 33 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 0.4 50 50 
			 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 0.3 100 0 
			 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 0.8 67 33 
		
	
	The figures as they relate to the period from September 2012 include the Government Equalities Office, which joined the Department in that month as part of a machinery of Government move. Before September 2012, the Government Equalities Office was part of the Home Office and the information requested for this period is not available.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities what proportion of staff within the Government Equalities Office who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Helen Grant: The following table shows the proportion of staff within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years and declared themselves as white British.
	
		
			  Percentage of DCMS headcount who have been dismissed Proportion of staff dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings who declared themselves as white British Proportion of staff subject to disciplinary proceedings who declared their nationality as British but ethnicity is undeclared 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 0 — — 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 0 — — 
			 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 0.2 100 0 
			 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 0 — — 
			 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 0 — — 
		
	
	The figures as they relate to the period from September 2012 include the Government Equalities Office, which joined the Department in that month as part of a machinery of Government move. Before September 2012, the Government Equalities Office was part of the Home Office and the information requested for this period is not available.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities what targets the Government Equalities Office has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Helen Grant: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which includes the Government Equalities Office, has no specific targets for increasing employee diversity. DCMS publishes its employee diversity information on data.gov.uk annually. The most recent diversity information can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237397/DCMS_Equality_Workforce_ Data_2012-2013.csv/preview

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities what consideration the Government Equalities Office gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Helen Grant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Birds

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance his Department gives to farmers and landowners in controlling the number of jays which predate smaller song birds.

George Eustice: All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. However, licences allow for the control of birds in some circumstances. In England, general licences are issued by Natural England permitting users to kill or take jays for several purposes. These include conserving wild birds and preventing serious damage to crops. They may be relied on by landowners and other authorised persons as long as they are satisfied they have met the conditions of the licence.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Dan Rogerson: The data in the following table relate to staff in core DEFRA only.
	
		
			  Percentage of staff subject to formal disciplinary proceedings who have: 
			 Financial year Not declared their ethnicity Declared themselves to be white British 
			 2009-10 33 67 
			 2010-11 75 25 
			 2011-12 33 67 
			 2012-13 17 67 
			 2013-14 25 67 
			 Note: Employees declare their ethnicity and national identity on a voluntary basis.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Dan Rogerson: The data in the following table relate to staff in core DEFRA only.
	
		
			  Percentage of staff who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings who have: 
			 Financial year Not declared their ethnicity Declared themselves to be white British 
			 2009-10 1— 1— 
			 2010-11 1— 1— 
			 2011-12 100 0 
			 2012-13 1— 1— 
			 2013-14 1— 1— 
			 1 No dismissals. Note: Employees declare their ethnicity and national identity on a voluntary basis.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Dan Rogerson: The civil service has a long-standing commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and ensuring that the civil service is representative of the society it serves. Central to this is the principle of appointment on merit which is the foundation of civil service recruitment and enshrined in law.
	Core DEFRA does not have numerical targets for increasing our workforce diversity. However, DEFRA’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2013-15 contains a clear goal for DEFRA to become a diverse and inclusive Department
	‘that can attract and retain talented people from the widest range of backgrounds and offer all our employees equality of opportunity to progress and achieve their potential on merit.’
	DEFRA is also committed to reviewing our Equality Objectives and monitoring our performance against them and further information is provided in our Workforce Monitoring Report here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs/about/equality-and-diversity
	DEFRA’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy is underpinned by an action plan, with good progress made in the first year, including:
	Mandating unconscious bias training for managers of people and those involved in recruitment and interviewing.
	Introducing senior leader Diversity Champions for specific groups.
	Participating fully in Positive Action Pathways, Diversity Schemes and Programmes.
	Ongoing participation in the award winning ‘Summer Diversity Internship Programme’, specifically aimed at underrepresented students.

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the Farming Recovery Fund to cover the cost of restoration of agricultural land following the recent floods has been received by farmers and businesses to date.

Dan Rogerson: As of 10 June 2014, a total of 131 applications have been received with a total grant request of £1,173,310.
	Of these, 62 applications have been approved with a total grant request of £403,617.
	In view of the continued level of interest in the Farming Recovery Fund, we are exploring with officials the possibility of extending the closing date beyond 27 June 2014.
	You will also wish to be aware that the Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme (FFIS), which supports investments targeting farming competitiveness, closed on 4 April, having received more than 2,700 applications and a national grant request of over £27 million.

Floods: South East

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of how many properties at risk of flooding in (a) Windsor constituency and (b) the Thames Valley that will not be covered by the new Flood Re scheme.

Dan Rogerson: The assessment of the impact the scope of the Flood Re Scheme will have was done at a UK level. There was no specific assessment for individual constituencies or regions.

Food: Production

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK's sanitary and phytosanitary rules in food production are not affected by the agreement of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

George Eustice: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership could be worth £10 billion a year to the UK economy, with potential to deliver significant opportunities for the UK agriculture, food and drink sectors. Sanitary and phytosanitary issues are likely to be critical to a successful agreement. I am pursuing these in consultation with industry and other interested parties to ensure progress is made, based on sound science and consistent with our biosecurity and food safety standards.

Food: Public Opinion

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of public trust in the authenticity of food purchased at food outlets in each (a) region and (b) local authority area since January 2013.

George Eustice: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) conducts a Biannual Public Attitudes Tracker survey on a nationwide basis. While this does not ask specific questions on the authenticity of food, authenticity-related issues are raised by some consumers in spontaneous responses and when prompted.
	http://multimedia.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/science-research/biannual-attitudes-tracker-nov-2013.pdf
	In July 2013, consumers reported mislabelling as a concern leading them to have a lack of trust in the supply chain
	1
	. Similar evidence has been reported by other consumer attitude research by non-government organisations such as Which?
	2
	, IGD
	3
	, Mintel
	4
	and the Ipsos MORI survey for The Grocer
	5
	.
	Consumers have a right to expect that the food they buy is what it says it is. Government have taken significant steps to ensure the continued authenticity of our food, including increasing support to local authorities for delivery of the national co-ordinated sampling programme from £1.6 million to £2.2 million in 2013-14. Continued investment in the Government’s food authenticity research programme ensures that the UK is at the cutting edge of science in developing novel technologies to detect ever more sophisticated food fraud and protect UK consumers.
	In June 2013, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), and the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), asked Professor Elliot to conduct a review into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks. The interim report was published on 12 December 2013 and the professor’s final report will be published shortly.
	1 http://food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/horsemeat-attitudesb.pdf
	2 http://www.which.co.uk/news/2013/03/horsemeat-scandal-dents -trust-in-food-industry-313016/
	3 http://shoppervista.igd.com/Hub.aspx?id=4&tid=4
	4 http://store.mintel.com/consumer-trust-in-food-uk-june-2013 ?cookie_test=true#
	5http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/topics/food-safety/horse-meat/horsegate-scandal-hasnt-changed-shopping-habits-of-majority/353432.article

Forests

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 394W, on forests, for what reasons the Government did not announce in the Queen's Speech legislative proposals to protect the public forest estate.

Dan Rogerson: There were many proposals competing for the limited space within the Fourth Session programme and the proposed forestry measures could not be accommodated.
	The Government stand by their commitment to establish a new public body to hold the Public Forest Estate in trust for the nation, as set out in its Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement of January 2013, as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Hedgehogs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of hedgehogs in the UK in each of the last three years.

George Eustice: No estimates of hedgehog populations have been made by DEFRA in the last three years. However, a report “The State of Britain's Hedgehogs” was published in 2011 by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People's Trust for Endangered Species. It estimates that hedgehog numbers were approximately 1.5 million in 1995. The report is available online at:
	www.ptes.org/files/1428_sobh2011lowres.pdf

Helium Balloons

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps he has taken to reduce risks to the environment posed by the release of helium balloons.

Dan Rogerson: We recognise there are concerns about the potential risks posed by helium balloons. In 2013, jointly with the Welsh Government, we commissioned an independent study to identify and assess the impacts and risks to livestock and the environment associated with sky lanterns and helium balloons.
	Evidence from the report concluded that risk to the environment from helium balloons is small or highly localised.
	The report is available at:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module= More&Location=None&Completed=2&ProjectID=18402
	Any future action Government may take will need to be proportionate to the problem and backed by reliable evidence.

Livestock: Antibiotics

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of antibiotics used in the UK are given to farm animals.

George Eustice: Data on antibiotic use in the medical and veterinary sectors are currently collated in different formats, which prevents direct comparison; it is therefore not possible to accurately ascertain what proportion of total antibiotics used in the UK are given to farm animals.
	In 2012, sales of antibiotic active ingredient authorised for veterinary use (farm and companion animals) totalled 409 tonnes.

Marginal Land: Fires

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support his Department gives to landowners to enable regeneration of land through the burning of heather and moorland.

George Eustice: The Department does not support landowners in England regenerating land through the burning of heather and moorland. However, various agri-environment schemes provide financial support for the positive environmental management of the uplands, including moorland.

Nature Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to improve the habitat and increase the number of (a) hedgehogs and (b) owls.

George Eustice: Agri-environment schemes, such as Environmental Stewardship, are the principal means of improving habitats and the wider environment on farmland in England. Farmers receive funding to manage the cropped environment and provide additional habitats on their farms for birds and other wildlife. Under work to develop the implementation plan for Biodiversity 2020 (the Government’s strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services) Natural England has commissioned work to review all Section 41 species. This is to identify priorities for action and to determine what those actions should be. The hedgehog is being considered within this context by the Mammal Taxon Group, which comprises specialist organisations, led by Natural England.
	Activities of benefit to owls, currently funded by Environmental Stewardship, include the establishment of grassy margins and buffer strips, and the management of field corners. These can provide additional habitat for prey species such as small mammals. The restoration of traditional farm buildings can also provide both shelter and nesting sites along with the provision of nest boxes.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of those (a) starting and (b) completing an apprenticeship in England since May 2010 were (i) female, (ii) registered disabled and (iii) from an ethnic minority background.

Matthew Hancock: Information on apprenticeship starts and achievements by gender, ethnicity and learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LLDD) is published by academic year in supplementary tables to a Statistical First Release (SFR).
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships--2
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/298401/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296345/apprenticeship-achievements-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xlsm

Apprentices: Pay

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will increase the minimum rate of pay for apprentices from £2.68 per hour to £2.96 per hour.

Jennifer Willott: This Government are fully committed to the National Minimum Wage set by the independent Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises the wages of the low paid without damaging their employment prospects by setting it too high.
	We ask the Low Pay Commission to consider the evidence and recommend the National Minimum Wage rates, to achieve this.
	This Government have accepted an above inflation increase in the NMW, including an increase in the apprentice rate from £2.68 to £2.73. The increase will come into effect on 1 October 2014 and provide low paid workers with the biggest cash increase in their pay packets since 2008.
	The Low Pay Commission has judged that a higher increase in the minimum wage would risk damaging employment prospects for the lowest paid.

Comet Group

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been paid out by his Department in statutory entitlements following the collapse of Comet; how many people have been compensated to date; and what estimate he has made of the total cost to the Exchequer of meeting all arising liabilities in this case.

Jennifer Willott: The Insolvency Service's Redundancy Payments Services have paid out a total of £18,482,220 in statutory entitlements to 4,838 former employees of Comet Group Plc.
	It is not possible at present to estimate the total cost to the Exchequer of meeting all statutory entitlements. Further payments will depend on the findings of the Employment Tribunal regarding the employees covered by the protective award judgment of 11 June 2014. Consideration of this matter is scheduled for 17 July 2014. There are also outstanding Tribunal applications, in respect of statutory payments other than protective awards, still to be determined.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Jennifer Willott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 433W.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Jennifer Willott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 434W.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Jennifer Willott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 434W.

Exports: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps UK Trade and Investment has taken to encourage exports from the north east to Brazil, Angola and Mozambique and other emerging lusophone markets.

Michael Fallon: The United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) North East trade team has developed a programme called “Access to Brazil in North East”, which is aimed at support companies in the North East to link with Brazil. It is managed for UKTI by the North East Chamber of Commerce. The programme is also supported by European Regional Development Fund funding. A key element of the programme, as part of an Olympics legacy, is about building a relationship with North East Brazil. When the UK’s North East Brazil consul (Recife) was opened, a group of North East companies were part of the launch event. A number of market visits have taken place since then. The next visit by North East companies to Brazil is planned for October 2014, with an event involving the Consul from Recife on 10 July.
	UKTI North East has worked with 165 companies regarding opportunities in the Brazilian market.
	For Angola and Mozambique, UKTI has identified an increasing number of opportunities in Africa for North East companies, particularly in the oil and gas sectors. UKTI North East has worked with 25 companies on opportunities in Angola and 10 companies in Mozambique.
	UKTI North East is working with the lead FCO Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, on a visit to the North East in late July to promote opportunities in Africa. A programme is currently being prepared.

Green Investment Bank

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of investment by the Green Investment Bank has been given to biofuels to date.

Michael Fallon: The Green Investment Bank (GIB) has yet to finance any projects in the biofuels for transport sector. To date, GIB has committed a total of £1.3 billion to green projects including the following projects that involve use of biomass for energy generation:
	£100 million to one coal-to-biomass conversion project (Drax power station);
	£40.1 million to three projects (in Northern Ireland, Birmingham and Port Talbot) that involve generating energy from recovered waste wood; and
	£19.7 million to a number of energy efficiency projects which involve the use of biomass boilers at enterprises such as distilleries, schools and farms.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index, introduced by the Office for National Statistics, in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

Matthew Hancock: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is measuring National Wellbeing, not as an index but through a framework of 41 indicators which capture social progress around important aspects of life for individuals, communities and the nation. The statistics are experimental and as such we should not expect to have examples of major policies that have been heavily influenced by the wellbeing data at this stage.
	Evidence provided to the Environmental Audit Committee for its Inquiry into Wellbeing can be found at:
	http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/well-being/
	The evidence submitted by the Department is outlined in Annex A, and demonstrates the impact of our policies and programmes—including our labour market reforms and support for higher and further education—on wellbeing. Since submitting that evidence, we have also commissioned research to develop a comprehensive evidence base on the link between employees’ wellbeing and business performance. The findings will feed into future policy development on wellbeing at work, as well as the development of an on-line guide providing suggestions on methods for improving wellbeing in the workplace. The findings from this research, the first of its kind in the UK, are due for publication in late summer 2014.

Minimum Wage: Ethnic Groups

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the ethnic breakdown of workers earning between the national minimum wage and the living wage.

Jennifer Willott: The Government support a living wage and encourage businesses to pay it when it is affordable, and not at the expense of jobs. However, decisions on what wages to set, above the national minimum wage, are for employers and workers.
	The Government have not estimated the breakdown of workers earning between the national minimum wage and the living wage by ethnicity.
	The Government’s main policy lever in addressing low pay is the national minimum wage (NMW). Using the labour force survey, in 2013, 8.3% of the ‘ethnic minority’ group1 were in jobs that paid at or below the NMW while overall 7.8% of the jobs in the economy paid at or below the NMW. This is as set out in the Low Pay Commission’s 2014 Report, Figure 2.6.
	We are absolutely clear that anyone from whatever background who is entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it. HMRC investigates every complaint made through the free and confidential pay and work rights helpline. Since 1 October 2013, employers who fail to pay the national minimum wage (NMW) will be publicly named and shamed, under revamped criteria announced in August 2013, to make it easier to clamp down on rogue businesses. This is on top of financial penalties which employers already face if they fail to pay NMW.
	1 The definition of ‘ethnic-minority’ group is as defined in the labour force survey (LFS).
	Also please note that the LFS overstates the number of minimum wage jobs and workers when compared to the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) dataset.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to RBS and all its subsidiaries on making their services available at post offices.

Jennifer Willott: Since September 2011, the customers of RBS, Ulster Bank and NatWest have been able to withdraw cash free of charge at all post office branches across the UK. With around 11,700 branches—more branches than all the high street banks and building societies combined—the Post Office is the largest retail network in the UK. It is also the only retail network that meets the Government’s strict access criteria that see, for example, 99% of the national population live within three miles of an outlet. With 95% of all UK debit card holders able to access cash at post office counters, the Post Office is in many communities the only source of free to access cash.
	The Post Office is also a major provider of personal financial services. In partnership with its banking partner, the Post Office provides a wide range of financial services including mortgages, credit cards, and savings products. The Post Office is currently trialling its own current account products.

Teachers: Ethnic Groups

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to increase the number of black and minority ethnic professors teaching in public universities.

David Willetts: Higher education institutions (HEIs) are independent, autonomous bodies and are entirely responsible for the recruitment, promotion and retention of their staff. Universities, like other employers, are subject to the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and must ensure they do not discriminate in their recruitment practices. Universities are also required to meet the public sector equality duty and take a proactive approach to advancing equality of opportunity.
	I understand that employer and employee representative organisations are taking action to address issues of equality in the higher education sector work force. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), through the Equality Challenge Unit and in other ways, works with the higher education (HE) sector to support activities to address issues of representation both in the HE work force and student population.

Universal Service Obligation

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with Royal Mail Group, Ofcom or officials or Ministers in other Departments about invoking section 44(9) and section 44(10) of the Postal Services Act 2011 to ask Ofcom to report on the sustainability of the Universal Service Obligation.

Jennifer Willott: None.
	Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament gave Ofcom the primary duty to secure the ongoing provision of the universal service and to this end Ofcom must also have regard for the provision of a universal service to be financially sustainable.
	Ofcom monitors market developments, including any impacts on Royal Mail's performance and operational efficiency, and has the regulatory powers and tools to intervene if the sustainability of the universal service is ever at risk.
	As part of its monitoring regime, Ofcom publishes a report every year on Royal Mail's performance and the postal market, and this includes an update on the financial sustainability of the universal service. More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website:
	www.ofcom.org.uk

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Repatriation of Powers: EU

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which powers he is seeking to repatriate from the EU.

David Lidington: As the Prime Minister said in May, Brussels has got too big, too bossy, too interfering. It should be nation states wherever possible, Europe only where necessary.
	Our reform priorities are to make the EU more democratically accountable, more competitive and more flexible.

Muslim Brotherhood

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role his Department is playing in the Government’s review of the Muslim Brotherhood announced in April 2014.

William Hague: The Government have appointed a senior member of the diplomatic service, Sir John Jenkins, to lead the review. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is contributing information and analysis through our network of embassies across the Middle East and more widely, including by consulting academic experts. The FCO is also providing an oversight role as part of the review’s steering group.

African Great Lakes

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote peace and reconciliation in the African Great Lakes region.

Mark Simmonds: Last week, I met with Ministers from the DRC and Rwanda, and with representatives of the UN, and urged all to seize the current opportunity to stabilise eastern DRC.
	When I met President Kabila in February in Kinshasa, I discussed the importance of his Government taking clear steps on stability and governance.

Middle East

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effects on the middle east peace process of the new unity Palestinian Government.

William Hague: I welcome the formation of the new interim technocratic Government for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under a Government committed to the Quartet Principles is a necessary condition for resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. We now look to this Government to demonstrate commitment through their actions as well as words.

Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to improve support and protection for women human rights defenders in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The UK takes this issue very seriously. Our primary approach to supporting human rights defenders is to work with and through multilateral institutions such as the EU and the UN to support national efforts. These bodies have the expertise and resources to fulfil this important role in country. The UK played a significant part in the EU's recent decision to increase support to human rights defenders in Afghanistan, including plans to refresh the 2010 EU Strategy on Human Rights Defenders. The UK will work with the EU and other member states to ensure that the refreshed strategy recognises the specific challenges that women human rights defenders face. We are also working to ensure that human rights, including the protection of human rights defenders, are a top priority for the EU's proposed post-2014 country strategy for Afghanistan.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the extension of the lease for Diego Garcia Airbase.

Mark Simmonds: We welcome the US presence on Diego Garcia, and we have said we want to see it continue. The current agreement does not conclude until December 2016, and we have not yet held substantive discussions with the US about this subject. I expect my officials to begin doing so later this year.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;

Hugh Robertson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 433W.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year;
	(2)  what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 434W.

India

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the new Indian Government in favour of increased action to tackle caste discrimination, sexual violence and other forms of discrimination and inequality.

Hugo Swire: We are committed to working with the Government of India and international partners to address the problem of gender-based violence, human trafficking and child exploitation in India. Through the Department for International Development (DFID) programme, the UK supports measures in India's 120 poorest districts to promote the empowerment and access to benefits and services of excluded groups. DFID India also provides support to national and state governments in India, which includes helping girls to complete basic education and further tackling violence against women and girls.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), invited the Government of India to attend the End Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit and has already discussed the initiative with the new Indian Foreign Minister. The Indian high commissioner to the UK attended the summit.

Iran

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of prospects for successful negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme.

Hugh Robertson: The current negotiations with Iran are the best opportunity in years to resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear programme. Negotiations so far, which have built on the Geneva interim deal, have been constructive but challenging: any deal will require Iran to take significant steps to address comprehensively our proliferation concerns. However, there remains commitment on all sides of the table to reach a deal.

Iran

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the compliance of Iranian businesses with financial sanctions imposed by the UK.

Hugh Robertson: The UK implements EU and UN sanctions against Iran—it does not independently impose financial sanctions on Iran. The UK is firmly committed to ensuring compliance, including working with partners to freeze assets, authorising and monitoring relevant transactions, and investigating alleged sanctions breaches. EU financial measures apply within the EU and to EU nationals and entities rather than directly to Iranian businesses based outside of the EU. However, Her Majesty’s Treasury continues to ensure that the assets of designated Iranian entities, held in the UK, remain frozen.

Iraq

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of recent territorial gains of the Islamist insurgent group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The situation in Syria and Iraq is very serious and the territorial gains made by ISIL are deeply concerning. ISIL are a brutal terrorist group who want to impose rule on people using their extremist ideology, violence and extortion. Our objective is to see a prosperous and stable Iraq as part of a stable region. The recent developments clearly threaten this. In the immediate term we are very concerned about the large numbers of Iraqis being displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas. As well as a strong security response by the Iraqi forces, there needs to be a strong political solution.

Iraq

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts his Department is making to support the Iraqi Government in maintaining stability in that country.

Hugh Robertson: We are continuing to play an active role, providing a range of political and humanitarian support. On 12 June 2014, we deployed a team of humanitarian experts to Northern Iraq. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) subsequently announced a £3 million emergency aid package for civilians fleeing the violence in Mosul and surrounding areas. The package will help provide clean water and sanitation and essential medicine, as well as help the UNHCR establish camps for internally displaced people. We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and are working with key partners, including the Red Cross/Red Crescent and UN agencies.
	I met Iraqi Foreign Minister Zebari in London on 12 June 2014 and underlined our support for the Iraqi Government and the people of Iraq in their struggle against terrorism. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has been engaging actively with international leaders in recent days on how to respond to the current situation in Iraq, including discussions with US Secretary Kerry, the Iraqi, Turkish and Iranian Foreign Ministers, and the Israeli Minister for National Security.
	We have made clear the need for an inclusive and unified approach within Iraq. The immediate need is for the Iraqi Security Forces to stabilise the situation, working with civilian and regional authorities in order to establish unity and co-operation across the country. Regional actors also can and must play a constructive role.

Israel

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Government of Israel on the recent arrest of Mahmoud Zwahre in Al Maasara, Bethlehem.

Hugh Robertson: The British Government have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue.

Marine Protected Areas

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the public purse of litigation associated with the declaration of the Marine Protected Area on 1 April 2010 is to date.

Mark Simmonds: Though some final costs from Counsel on the recently concluded Court of Appeal hearing are yet to be received, the cost of domestic litigation to date is £325,444.42. We understand the litigant, Mr. Olivier Bancoult, has also been in receipt of legal aid. HM Government have been successful in defending all such litigation, and have therefore been awarded full costs in the Divisional Court, and half of our costs in the Court of Appeal, though these are still subject to assessment.
	In respect of the recently concluded challenge by Mauritius in an arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, various costs matters are still ongoing.

Nigeria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Ministers or officials of his Department have (a) met the Attorney General of Nigeria since January 2012 and (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian government.

Mark Simmonds: No FCO Ministers have met the Nigerian Attorney General since January 2012. Given the range and frequency of meetings between FCO officials with the Nigerian Attorney General, I am unable to offer a full list of them. The Metropolitan Police Proceeds of Corruption Unit is investigating complaints made about the case of oil block OPL-245 in Nigeria. Because this is an on-going investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment any further.

Syria

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the threat ISIS and other Islamist groups in Syria pose to (a) the wider middle east and (b) other areas.

Hugh Robertson: The UK is deeply concerned by the growth of terrorism in Syria and Iraq. ISIL are a brutal terrorist group who want to impose rule on people using their extremist ideology, violence and extortion.
	ISIL's advance in Iraq shows that they are a serious threat. It shows clearly the importance of taking a strong stand against extremists, and that is why we are giving our full backing to the moderate groups in Syria who are fighting them. It is not yet clear what the recent developments in Iraq mean in the longer term, but clearly ISIL's ability to operate in both Syria and Iraq is a cause of concern for the international community.

Western Sahara

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on human rights abuses in Western Sahara.

Hugh Robertson: We regularly receive reports on the human rights situation in Western Sahara from a number of sources, including the Moroccan National Human Rights Council, UN Special Rapporteurs, international human rights organisations and civil society groups.

TRANSPORT

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 433W.

East Coast Railway Line

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of delays to East Coast Main Line rail services in 2013-14 were due to (a) overhead wire failures, (b) signalling failures, (c) other infrastructure failures, (d) flooding or other weather events, (e) vehicles, persons, or animals on the line, (f) train failures, (g) unavailability of staff and (h) other causes.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold the information in the form requested. This would be a matter for Network Rail.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year;
	(2)  what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 434W.

Govia

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what protection of existing (a) staffing levels and (b) tickets revenue sharing arrangements with other train operating companies were secured in negotiations with Govia over the extension from the London passenger rail franchise; and if he will seek such protections in future negotiations over the planned direct award of the franchise to Govia.

Stephen Hammond: Staffing levels are a matter for the train operator, as long as they continue to deliver services that meet the requirements of the Franchise Agreement. The 7-period extension announced on 9 June was a priced option in the current Franchise Agreement.
	Any existing ticket revenue sharing arrangements continue through the extension. Although preliminary negotiations have taken place with regard to a Direct Award to run services from April 2016, no timetable for formal negotiations is yet in place, and formal negotiations are yet to take place.

London Midland

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects negotiations to begin with Govia over the direct award extension from September 2015 to June 2017 of the London Midland passenger rail franchise.

Stephen Hammond: On 9 June we signed the 7-period extension to the London Midland contract as permitted in the franchise agreement. This extends the current franchise until April 2016. Although preliminary negotiations have taken place with regard to a Direct Award to run services from April 2016, no timetable for formal negotiations is yet in place. As announced by the Secretary of State, the new franchising programme will provide a more sustainable schedule for rail franchising and the planned competition for the West Midland franchise should see the successful operator providing services from June 2017.

London Midland

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of revenue support Govia will be entitled to in each accounting period of the direct award of the London Midland rail passenger franchise agreement to June.

Stephen Hammond: Although preliminary negotiations have taken place with regard to a Direct Award to run services from April 2016, formal negotiations are yet to take place.
	However, we do not anticipate that the operator will be entitled to any revenue support throughout the period of the Direct Award.

London Midland

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to devolve decisions on London Midland passenger rail services to a local level; and what proposals on such lines he has made to the current franchisee.

Stephen Hammond: The Government are committed to the principle of devolving responsibility for a range of their activities to the most appropriate level of local government, where it is sensible to do so.
	A proposition is being drafted by West Midlands Rail body (WMR), which is expected to be received by the end of July. WMR is meeting with the Secretary of State early in July to discuss devolution.
	Following receipt of the proposition, the Secretary of State will decide whether to agree to the proposition in principle. If this is the case, detailed negotiations on the financial and contractual elements will then follow.

M54: M6

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to create a link between the M54, the M6 northbound and the M6 toll road.

Robert Goodwill: The Treasury’s Command Paper ‘Investing in Britain’s future’ set out that the Government will invest over £28 billion in enhancements and maintenance of national and local roads. It also confirmed that Government would provide funding to build a number of Highways Agency major road projects, including the M54 to M6 Toll Link Road scheme subject to the finalisation of options and agreement being reached on developer contributions.

Official Cars

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Dudley North of 22 June 2010, Official Report, column 113W, on the Government Car and Dispatch Agency, what the (a) make, (b) model and (c) place of manufacture was of each car (i) purchased and (ii) leased by the Government Car Service since 6 May 2010; and how much each such car cost to purchase or lease.

Stephen Hammond: The make, model, place of manufacture and cost of purchase or lease for cars, procured formerly by the Government Car and Despatch Agency and latterly by the Government Car Service since the 6 May 2010, are set out in the following table. The current Government Car Service fleet is comprised of 85 cars, reduced from 227 cars as at 31March 2010.
	
		
			 Make and model Delivery date Outright purchase Leased Country of manufacture Net (£) VAT (£) Total (£) 
			 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDI 7 seat 11 February 2011 Yes — South Korea 16,722.06 3,248.41 19,970.47 
			 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDI 7 seat 11 February 2011 Yes — South Korea 16,722.06 3,248.41 19,970.47 
			 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDI 7 seat 11 February 2011 Yes — South Korea 16,722.06 3,248.41 19,970.47 
			 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDI 7 seat 11 February 2011 Yes — South Korea 16,722.06 3,248.41 19,970.47 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0 Diesel Luxury 24 October 2011 Yes — United Kingdom 40,706.16 8,141.23 48,847.39 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0 Diesel Luxury 24 October 2011 Yes — United Kingdom 39,295.08 7,859.02 47,154.10 
			 Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel Portfolio 24 October 2011 Yes — United Kingdom 29,012.96 5,802.59 34,815.55 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0 Diesel Luxury 17 November 2011 Yes — United Kingdom 39,834.91 7,966.98 47,801.89 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0 Diesel Luxury 20 December 2011 Yes — United Kingdom 39,834.91 7,966.98 47,801.89 
			 Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel Portfolio 12 December 2011 Yes — United Kingdom 29,012.96 5,802.59 34,815.55 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0 Diesel Luxury 14 December 2011 Yes — United Kingdom 39,834.91 7,966.98 47,801.89 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0 Diesel Luxury 12 December 2011 Yes — United Kingdom 38,257.81 7,651.56 45,909.38 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0 Diesel Luxury 27 April 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 40,077.80 8,015.56 48,093.36 
			 Land Rover Discovery 3.0 HSE Auto 15 May 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 36,726.03 7,345.21 44,071.24 
			 Ford Galaxy Titanium X 2.2TDCi 200ps Manual 12 June 2012 Yes — Belgium 23,448.75 4,689.75 28,138.50 
			 Land Rover Discovery 3.0 HSE Auto 25 May 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 36,726.03 7,345.21 44,071.24 
			 Land Rover Discovery 3.0 HSE Auto 14 June 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 37,756.34 7,551.27 45,307.61 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
			 Toyota Avensis T4 2.2 DCAT 4dr Saloon Auto 6 September 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 17,081.18 3,386.53 20,467.71 
		
	
	
		
			 Jaguar XJ SWB 5.0 Diesel Luxury 4 December 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 35,538.75 7,107.75 42,646.50 
			 Jaguar XJ SWB 5.0 Diesel Luxury 4 December 2012 Yes — United Kingdom 35,538.75 7,107.75 42,646.50 
			 Land Rover Discovery 3.0 HSE Auto 21 March 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 38,709.89 7,741.97 46,451.86 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 8 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 8 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 8 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 8 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 19 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 19 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 8 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 8 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 8 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Toyota Avensis 2.2 D4D Icon Plus Auto 8 November 2013 Yes — United Kingdom 17,923.18 3,538.63 21,461.81 
			 Jaguar XJ LWB 3.0 Diesel Luxury 2 April 2014 Yes — United Kingdom 36,990.00 7,398.00 44,388.00 
			 Ford Galaxy Titanium 2.2 TDCi Auto 29 November 2013 Yes — Germany 21,667.21 4,333.44 26,530.65 
			 Ford Galaxy Titanium 2.2 TDCi Auto 29 November 2013 Yes — Germany 21,667.21 4,333.44 26,530.65 
			 Ford Galaxy Titanium 2.2 TDCi Auto 29 November 2013 Yes — Germany 21,667.21 4,333.44 26,530.65 
			 Ford Galaxy Titanium 2.2 TDCi Auto 4 December 2013 Yes — Germany 21,667.21 4,333.44 26,530.65 
			 Ford Galaxy Titanium 2.2 TDCi Auto 4 December 2013 Yes — Germany 21,667.21 4,333.44 26,530.65 
			 Ford Galaxy Zetec 2.0 TDCi Auto — — Yes Germany 13,681.80 2,736.36 16,418.16 
			 Ford Galaxy Zetec 2.0 TDCi Auto — — Yes Germany 13,681.80 2,736.36 16,418.16

Railways

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) Passenger Transport Executives and (b) Centro regarding rail devolution policy.

Stephen Hammond: The Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) in the North of England are represented in discussions on this matter through the Rail North consortium of 30 local authorities. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin) and Rail North Leaders agreed the principles of an initial partnership for the procurement and management of the next Trans Pennine Express and Northern franchises at a meeting on 24 January. Officials—including a number from the PTEs—are working closely together on its implementation. Details of the partnership can be found at:
	http://www.railnorth.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Developing-the-Rail-North-Partnership.pdf
	The Department is in regular discussion with West Midlands Rail (WMR), a consortium of local authorities led by Centro, on their development of a proposition for devolution of local rail services in the West Midlands. The proposition is expected to be submitted to the Department by the end of July. WMR is meeting the Secretary of State early in July to discuss its proposals.

Railways: Information Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to encourage the availability of passenger information data on board trains.

Stephen Hammond: Since 1998, all new trains have been fitted with audio-visual Passenger Information Systems (PIS). Many older trains have also been retrofitted with this equipment, while those that have not do at least have tannoy systems. The law requires all trains to have audio-visual PIS by 2020 and the industry’s ongoing work to meet this has been further facilitated by recent franchise decisions.

Railways: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the planned direct rail service from Shrewsbury to London submitted by Network Rail and Virgin trains to the Office of Rail Regulation.

Stephen Hammond: We recognise the very strong local support for the introduction of a direct rail service between Shrewsbury and London. Discussions with Virgin Trains to negotiate a further franchise through to April 2017 are currently taking place. As part of these discussions officials have engaged with Virgin Trains to find the most appropriate way of securing a direct train service to Shrewsbury that is financially viable and a service that passengers find useful. We continue to take a very close interest in this matter.

Railways: Tickets

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what amount of ticket revenue was shared between (a) London Midland, (b) Virgin West Coast and (c) Arriva Cross Country through the Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services System in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold this information.

Railways: Tickets

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from train operating companies on the performance of the Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services system.

Stephen Hammond: We have received no recent representations from train operating companies on the performance of the Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services system.

Railways: Tickets

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from train operating companies on the performance of the Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services system and the effect on the future sharing of ticket revenue of changes in numbers of passenger journeys from and to stations on the London Midland line.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport has received no recent representations from train operating companies on the performance of the Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services system, nor regarding the future sharing of ticket revenue from passenger journeys from and to stations on the London Midland line.

Railways: Walsall

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will direct Network Rail to inform officially the hon. Member for Walsall North when the work on the bridge at Broad Lane, Bloxwich, Walsall, arising from electrification of the railway line, will be finally completed.

Stephen Hammond: Network Rail is currently a private sector company limited by guarantee and the duration of the Broad Lane bridge replacement works is an operational matter for the company.
	Network Rail advises that the replacement works are due to be completed and the bridge is due to be re-opened to road traffic on 20 June 2014.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the (a) availability and (b) effectiveness of scrubber technology on maritime vessels;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy of the report commissioned by the UK Chamber of Shipping on Impact on Jobs and the Economy of Meeting the Requirements of MARPOL annex VI, published in March 2013;
	(3)  what consideration he has given to providing mitigation and transition support to maritime businesses during the introduction of maritime fuel sulphur regulations in January 2015;
	(4)  if he will review the effect of the maritime fuel sulphur regulations earlier than 2019;
	(5)  what discussions he has had with maritime industry stakeholders on the implications of maritime fuel sulphur regulations for freight traffic moving from water freight to road freight.

Stephen Hammond: In October 2012, and again in March 2013, I chaired ‘round table’ meetings of industry stakeholders (from the shipping, ports, exhaust gas cleaning system technology, oil refining and logistics sectors) to consider the best way forward for compliance with the new international and EU sulphur requirements. The potential for reverse modal shift, the maturity and efficacy of scrubber technology and the scope for financial assistance to industry were all key to those discussions. The report commissioned by the UK Chamber of Shipping was produced as a result of those meetings, and officials have taken it into account in producing the Government’s Impact Assessment on the draft UK Regulations to implement the sulphur limits in national law.
	The Government went out to an eight-week public consultation on 29 April 2014 on those draft UK Regulations. Meanwhile, Government officials continue to work closely with the industry and to explore the scope for securing EU finance, possibly under the Trans-European Network (commonly known as TEN-T) programme and affordable capital from the European Investment Bank, for shipowners and ports who wish to invest in scrubber technology or in technology associated with the use of an alternative fuel, such as liquefied natural gas, to comply with the new limits.
	The UK Regulations will be reviewed in accordance with normal Government practice and consistent with the principles of better regulation.

Transport: Streatham

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the sufficiency of the transport links in the Streatham area; what plans he has to improve transport in that area; what research his Department has done on projects that might improve transport within the Streatham area; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Under devolution, transport in London is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL).
	The Government are providing over £10 billion to TfL during this Parliament to support a significant enhancement of London’s transport infrastructure.
	Network Rail is currently undertaking a Sussex route study to develop options for improvements on rail services in the Streatham area. It is due to report its findings next year.
	Residents and transport users in Streatham will also benefit from the higher capacity trains that will operate across the Thameslink network. Furthermore, as part of the new franchise, there are proposals to provide two additional trains in the peak.

EDUCATION

Apprenticeships

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress his Department has made on increasing the number and quality of apprenticeships for 16 to 18-year-olds.

Matthew Hancock: We are on track to deliver 2 million apprenticeships over this Parliament.
	We continue to focus on quality, insisting that all apprenticeships are jobs, have a minimum duration of a year, include on-the-job training and meet the needs of employers. As a result, the number of ‘full’ 16 to 18 apprenticeship starts—those with a planned duration of a year—have doubled.
	Apprenticeship reforms will further increase quality and simplify the system, making it easier and more desirable for employers to offer more apprenticeships in the future.

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department takes to (a) monitor how the grants awarded through the Sponsor Capacity Fund are used and (b) recoup grants from the Sponsor Capacity Fund where the recipients do not go on to sponsor any academies or use the money in an inappropriate way.

Edward Timpson: Academy sponsors who receive the Sponsor Capacity Fund are required to sign a Grant Funding Agreement, agreeing to adhere to the terms and conditions of grant. They are required to submit an Annual Certification of Expenditure, signed by their auditors, and a final report detailing what has been achieved through use of the grant.
	If they fail to comply with any of the conditions of grant, or are deemed to be in breach of it, they are required to return the grant to the Department.

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which organisations have received grants through the Sponsor Capacity Fund to date; when any such grant was awarded; how much was so awarded; and whether each organisation subsequently sponsored any academies.

Edward Timpson: Details of the organisations that have received grants of £25,000 or more through the Sponsor Capacity Fund are published online at:
	www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-department-and-executive-agency-spend-over-25-000

Basic Skills: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in Peterborough constituency achieved (a) level 1 and (b) level 2 skills in English in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: A table showing the number of pupils in Peterborough constituency that achieved a level 1 or a level 2 in English (key stage 4) since 2005/06 has been placed in the House Library.
	Information on pupils for 2004/05 is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Children: Day Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the average annual cost of childcare in the UK for a child aged (a) two and under, (b) three to four and (c) five and over; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education uses cost information from a number of independent surveys, such as the Family and Childcare Trust Annual Childcare Cost Survey 2014:
	http://www.familyandchildcaretrust.org/childcare-costs-surveys
	Their findings on the costs of childcare for children aged under two years old and those aged two years and over in England are shown in the following table. The survey does not identify separately those aged five years and over.
	It is encouraging to note that after 12 years of consistently rising prices, the costs of childcare in England have stabilised for the first time. In fact, once inflation is taken into account costs for the majority of parents have actually fallen. This means more parents are able to access affordable childcare and support their families.
	But the Government are not complacent, and we are working to further increase childcare supply, which will further improve choice and affordability for parents:
	(a) More schools are opening their own nurseries for the first time, and we are establishing child-minder agencies to increase the number of child-minders available.
	(b) An increasing number of existing school nurseries are extending opening times from 8am to 6pm.
	(c) We are also making it easier for good nurseries to grow, by removing red-tape and planning restrictions.
	The Government recently announced that the new Tax-Free Childcare scheme will be increased up to £2000 per child and extended to all children under 12 from September next year. This will help around two million families.
	To help disadvantaged families, the Government have extended the 15-hours a week of funded early education already available for all three and four-year-olds to include the most disadvantaged 20% of two-year-olds, and this will be extended further to 40% from September 2014.
	The early years pupil premium (EYPP) will provide nurseries, schools and other providers of government funded early education with extra money for disadvantaged three and four-year-olds. The EYPP will be £50 million in 2015-16 and the Department for Education will consult on the details of the programme shortly.
	All families in universal credit will be able to receive 85% support on childcare costs, up from 70% under the current working tax credit system. This change will see 300,000 working families getting more out of the money they earn. More and more families will find that it pays to get a job, from taking the first few shifts back at work, right up to working full-time.
	
		
			 Average weekly childcare costs for England 
			  Weekly cost (£)1 
			  Under two Two and over 
			 Nursery 25 hours 110.95 106.19 
			 Childminder 25 hours 100.74 101.51 
			 1 Source: Family and Childcare Trust Annual Childcare Costs Survey, 2014

Children: Social Services

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received in support of his proposals to allow further delegation of children's social care functions in order to improve outcomes for children in receipt of child protection services.

Edward Timpson: Responses to the consultation on further delegation of children's social care functions are currently being considered.

Children: Social Services

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to develop pilot projects of his proposals to allow further delegation of children's social care functions.

Edward Timpson: Responses to the consultation on further delegation of children’s social care functions are currently being considered. Local authorities will be able to apply to the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme for support to make use of any new freedoms introduced, and the impact of activities funded through the programme will be robustly evaluated.

Classroom Assistants: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teaching assistant training posts have been (a) commissioned and (b) filled in in (i) Copeland and (ii) Cumbria in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Laws: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Classroom Assistants: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teaching assistants have been employed in schools in (a) Copeland constituency and (b) Cumbria in each of the last five years.

David Laws: The following table provides the head count and full-time equivalent (FTE) number of teaching assistants in service in publicly-funded schools in Copeland constituency, Cumbria local authority (LA) and England in each year from January 2008 to 2009 and November 2010 to 2012 (the latest information available). Data for 2013 will be available in July and will be accessible from the following web link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013
	
		
			  Copeland constituency Cumbria LA England 
			  Head count FTE Head count FTE Head count FTE 
			 November1       
			 2012 292 206.0 2,221 1,497.3 340,480 231,319.5 
			 2011 293 208.5 2,173 1,465.5 323,150 216,779.5 
			 2010 324 185.7 2,339 1,342.2 341,168 180,923.0 
			        
			 January2       
			 2009 348 258.1 2,430 1,584.0 264,215 183,701.7 
			 2008 350 250.1 2,559 1,541.5 259,283 176,995.0 
			 1 Source-School Workforce Census. 2 Source-School Census.

Colleges of Education: Greater London

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which members of his Department's assessment panel, which interviewed representatives of the Institute of Education of London University in January 2014 about the proposals to establish a University Training School in Holborn and St Pancras, had served in the previous three years as head teacher, deputy or assistant head of a secondary school.

Edward Timpson: The panel that considered the Holborn University Training School proposal and conducted the interview with the Institute of Education possessed a collective experience in school headship of over 32 years, covering secondary and primary phases. No member of the panel has served in such a role within the last three years.
	Free school interview panels consist of a range of education and independent experts.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Elizabeth Truss: Our data do not record nationality; data held record only ethnicity.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Elizabeth Truss: Our data do not record nationality; data held record only ethnicity.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Elizabeth Truss: Whilst the Department for Education does not set explicit targets for increasing diversity, Management Committee monitors representation rates on a monthly basis.
	The following table shows the change to the workforce over the past year:
	
		
			 Workforce May 2013 (percentage) May 2014 (percentage) Annual change (percentage points) 
			 Black and minority ethnic 16.6 16.6 0.0 
			 Women 59.0 57.8 -1.2 
			 Disabled 11.7 12.1 +0.4 
			 LGBT 4.0 4.1 +0.1 
		
	
	We also monitor the Department’s representation rates at SCS against civil service 2013 targets:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Female BME Disabled 
			  DfE CS target DfE CS target DfE CS target 
			 SCS 44.1 39 5.4 5 5.7 5 
			 Women (Director and above) 42.9 34 — — — —

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Elizabeth Truss: We take into account an organisation’s diversity policy and record where it is relevant to the subject matter of the contract or grant and is permissible by law. Where the organisation is listed as a Crown Strategic Supplier, we would also approach the relevant Crown Representative as part of the appraisal.

Free Schools: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications for free schools have been made in (a) Copeland constituency and (b) Cumbria in each of the last two years.

Edward Timpson: The Department has not received any applications for free schools in Copeland. We have received one application from Cumbria within the last two years, which was successful.

London Academy of Excellence

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 205W, on the London Academy of Excellence, whether the enrolment data for 2013-14 for the London Academy of Excellence are now available; and if he will publish that data.

Edward Timpson: The London Academy of Excellence reported 395 pupils on roll in their Individual Learner Record return (R10) for 2013/14.

School Meals

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children at primary and secondary schools have access to a healthy and balanced dinner each day.

David Laws: The independent School Food plan, published in July 2013, is designed to increase the quality and take-up of school meals in England and ensure that the food available conforms to healthy standards. As part of the School Food plan, we are introducing new statutory food-based standards for schools in England from January 2015 and funding three organisations to increase take-up in junior and secondary schools.
	From September 2014, we are introducing free school meals for every child in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state-funded schools in England, to ensure that every child in those year groups has access to a nutritious lunch. We are targeting infants in order to help establish good eating patterns early. Our intention is that by providing a meal when children start at school, they and their parents will see the benefits of school meals and continue to choose them throughout their education.

Schools: Inspections

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria are used to commission Ofsted to carry out spot inspections on schools.

David Laws: Ofsted has been carrying out Section 8 inspections at schools with serious behavioural problems since January 2014. No-notice inspections can also be triggered by parental complaints or safeguarding concerns.

Schools: North East

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (b) the Sunderland local authority area and (c) the North East region are receiving less overall funding in 2013-14 than they did in 2010-11.

David Laws: Because of the significant changes in the school funding system between financial years 2010-11 and 2013-14, it is not possible to provide meaningfully-comparable data on funding to individual schools in the two years. In addition, the amount of funding a school receives will change from year to year depending on the number of pupils registered at the school as well as the schools funding formula determined by the local authority, the arrangements for which were reformed in 2013-14 to comprise 12 nationally-consistent factors.

Sixth Form Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of 17-year-olds staying in education (a) before and (b) after the raising of the participation age.

David Laws: The latest estimate of the proportion of 17-year-olds participating in education is included in “Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year olds in England” Statistical First Release (SFR), which is available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/participation-in-education-training-and-employment-by-16-to-18-year-olds-in-england-end-2012
	This release includes figures reflecting the position at the end of 2012, before raising the participation age (RPA) was implemented. The next release, due on 25 June 2014, will include updated figures for end 2013 which will reflect the first cohort impacted by the implementation of RPA.

Special Educational Needs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to support children with special educational needs in (a) Peterborough and (b) England.

Edward Timpson: Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, to be implemented from this September, introduces the largest reform to the system for special educational needs and disability for 30 years. It builds on the experience of 20 pathfinders and will place children and families at the heart of a more integrated system focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.
	The Department for Education is providing substantial funding to local areas to deliver the reforms. Last week, the Department announced an injection of an additional £45.2 million in 2014-15 on top of the £70 million Special Educational Needs (SEN) Reform Grant already provided this year for implementing the reforms. Peterborough will receive £200,615 of this most recent funding on top of the £307,940 SEN Reform Grant it has already received.
	We are also providing £30 million over two years to voluntary, community and private sector organisations to provide independent supporters to families to help them navigate the new system. Bids to offer independent supporters have been invited by 25 June. The Department for Education’s strategic partner, the Council for Disabled Children, will then work with interested organisations to secure support for families across the whole of England.
	This is supplemented by a wide range of activity to support implementation, from Pathfinder local authorities sharing their experience particular aspects of the reforms, through to funding for a range of specialist voluntary and community sector experts to provide materials and support for professionals on specific conditions.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Apprentices: Sick Pay

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals to make apprentices who earn below earning thresholds eligible for statutory sick pay.

Michael Penning: There is no intention to increase the financial burden on business and extend the qualifying rules for statutory sick pay to bring apprentices earning below the lower earnings level into eligibility. An apprentice earning below the lower earnings limit will, in line with other employees on a low income, continue to have access to employment and support allowance.

Children: Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) forecast and (b) actual figures of (i) absolute and (ii) relative child poverty were in each year since the Child Poverty Act 2010 came into force.

Esther McVey: The Government have not produced forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted, including the median income.
	The Government do not believe it is possible to accurately project child poverty to 2020. Poverty projections are rarely accurate. For example, IFS projections in October 2011 suggested the number of children in relative poverty would fall by 100,000 in 2010/11, whereas in fact it fell by 300,000.
	Estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. This information is captured using the Family Resources survey (FRS) and has been reported since 1998/99; these estimates are available for each financial year up to 2011/12, the latest period for which estimates are available.
	The estimates can be found at the link below:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112
	(ISBN 978-1-78153-531-8).
	Relevant estimates can be found in Table 4.1tr - 4.4tr (on pages 102-5).

Children: Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of children were in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in each region and constituent part of the UK in each of the last 20 years.

Esther McVey: Estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. This information is captured using the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
	Estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low income in the UK have consistently been reported using the FRS since 1998-99; these estimates are available for each financial year up to 2011-12, the latest period for which estimates are available.
	All of these estimates can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112
	(ISBN 978-1-78153-531-8).
	Relevant estimates can be found in Tables 4.16ts-4.17ts for relative low income (pages 135-136) and Tables 4.22ts-4.23ts for absolute low income (pages 141-142).

Children: Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of children in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in each region of the UK in the next three years.

Esther McVey: The Government do not produce forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty either locally or nationally. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted.
	This Government do not believe it is possible to accurately project child poverty. We know that poverty projections are rarely accurate. For example, IFS projections in October 2011 suggested the number of children in relative poverty would fall by 100,000 in 2010-11, whereas in fact it fell by 300,000.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Michael Penning: The following table shows the proportion of employees who were subject to formal disciplinary proceedings and the proportion dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings who have declared themselves as white British.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Percentage of staff subject to formal disciplinary proceedings who have declared themselves to be white British Percentage of staff subject to formal disciplinary proceedings that have not declared ethnicity or nationality Percentage of staff who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings who have declared themselves to be white British Percentage of staff who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings that have not declared ethnicity or nationality 
			 2011-12 22 33 22 47 
			 2012-13 21 35 16 43 
			 2013-14 23 31 20 44 
		
	
	The Department has only collected this information for the last three years since the Public Sector Equality Duty was introduced.
	The Department plans to launch a campaign by autumn 2014 to encourage staff to declare their personal diversity information. This will ensure we have more complete data in future to improve policy development.

Employment and Support Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of employment and support allowance claims processed within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30, (d) 40, (e) 60 and (f) more than 60 working days.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Employment Schemes: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many companies (a) expressed an interest in and (b) tendered for the Help to Work scheme in Wales.

Esther McVey: DWP received expressions of interest from three organisations and three organisations tendered for the Community Work Placement (Help to Work) contract in Wales.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 434W.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 434W.

Housing Benefit

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the extension of the shared accommodation rate to people under the age of 35 years.

Steve Webb: The final research outputs from DWP’s independent evaluation of the changes to the local housing allowance are due to be published this summer. The research will cover the impact of extending the age threshold for the shared accommodation rate.

Housing Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of housing benefit claims processed within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30, (d) 40, (e) 60 and (f) more than 60 working days.

Steve Webb: None. The average speed of processing statistics for housing benefit is not broken down in this way. Published statistics are at the gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-benefit-and-council-tax-benefit-statistics-on-speed-of-processing--2

Housing Benefit: North East

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (b) the Sunderland local authority area and (c) the North East region are paying the under-occupancy penalty; and how many of those households contain someone registered as disabled.

Esther McVey: The information requested in respect of housing benefit claimants affected by the under occupancy penalty for region and local authority is published in Table 3 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-housing-benefit-claimants-and-average-weekly-spare-room-subsidy-amount-withdrawal
	Further geographical information including parliamentary constituency is also available in Stat-Xplore here:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	Guidance on how to extract the information can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm
	Information on those households containing someone registered as disabled is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing Benefit: North East

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average annual amount of under-occupancy penalty is paid by households in (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (b) the Sunderland local authority area and (c) the North East region.

Esther McVey: The information as requested is not available but such information we do have is for the weekly amount of spare room reduction amount (in bands) and this is published in Stat-Xplore here:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of adverse sanction decisions taken against jobseeker's allowance claimants in 2013 were repeat decisions.

Esther McVey: We have interpreted the question to be for the number of sanction decision reconsiderations and appeals upheld therefore resulting in a sanction still being applied following a request for a review or a formal appeal from the JSA claimant.
	This information is published and can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm
	The proportion of adverse sanction decisions can be calculated using these figures.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of jobseeker's allowance claims processed within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30, (d) 40, (e) 60 and (f) more than 60 working days.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are below the earnings threshold for auto enrolment into a workplace pension in each (a) region, (b) constituent part of the UK and (c) parliamentary constituency.

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he proposes that his planned charge cap on workplace pensions from April 2015 will apply to new collective defined contribution schemes.

Steve Webb: The Government's Defined Ambition Bill will bring new forms of collective pension arrangements to the UK, and it is vital that member protection, good governance and fair charges remain at the heart of this system.
	Details of how any charge cap may be applied to Collective Defined Contribution schemes will be in place before this legislation is commenced.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have fallen below the auto enrolment threshold in each year since that policy was introduced.

Steve Webb: Under the Pensions Act 2008, the automatic enrolment earnings trigger is reviewed by the Secretary of State every year, and revised if necessary. Since automatic enrolment was introduced in October 2012, two annual reviews to the trigger have been conducted. The table shows the impact of changes to the earnings trigger.
	
		
			 Table 1: Impact of changes to the automatic enrolment earnings trigger in each of the two annual reviews since the policy was introduced. 
			 Earnings trigger revised  
			 From £ To £ Number of individuals in eligible target group excluded 
			 2012-13 8,105 2013-14 9,440 420,000 
			 2013-14 9,440 2014-15 10,000 170,000 
			 Note: The figures refer to the eligible target group in the private sector. This includes individuals aged 22 to the State Pension age who earn above the earnings trigger and are not in a qualifying pension scheme.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of universal credit claims made in pilot areas have been based on independent self-assessment.

Esther McVey: We have interpreted the question as the proportion of people who assess their own eligibility for UC via the on-line self assessment tool.
	https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/entitlement
	The Department does not collect this data

Welfare State: Reform

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to respond to the recommendations made by the Social Security Advisory Committee in Occasional Paper 12 published in April 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The Department is currently considering its response to the Social Security Advisory Committee's recent study "The Cumulative Impact of Welfare Reform: a Commentary". A response will be published in due course.

Work Programme: North East

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (b) the Sunderland local authority area and (c) the North East region have been referred to the Work programme to date; and how many of those have achieved sustained job outcomes.

Esther McVey: The information requested is published and can be found at:
	http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within the Law Officers' Departments who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within the Law Officers' Departments who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Oliver Heald: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 16June 2013, Official Report, column 433W, by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Attorney-General what targets the Law Officers' Departments have for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Oliver Heald: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 16 June 2013, Official Report, column 434W, by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Attorney-General what consideration the Law Officers' Departments' give to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Oliver Heald: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 434W.

Freezing Orders

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General with reference to the answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 8W, on freezing orders, for each of the restraint orders granted since 2010-11, what the length of time was between receipt by the prosecution agency of the freezing request and the granting of the order.

Oliver Heald: Since 2010-11 the Serious Fraud Office has obtained two restraint orders for overseas jurisdictions. The length of time from date of receipt of the requests to the granting of the orders, is shown in the following table;
	
		
			  Time (days) 
			 2010 3 
			 2011 7 
		
	
	The length of time between receipt of freezing requests by the Crown Prosecution Service and the granting of the order is shown in the following table. There were two cases (one in 2010/11 and one in 2012/13) which took a significant amount of time to execute as detailed work needed to be done with the requesting country in order to prepare the applications for restraint orders.
	
		
			 Year Number of overseas restraint orders Number of days from the receipt of the external request to the granting of the order 
			 2010/11 7 Request 1—22 
			   Request 2—96 
			   Request 3—9 
			   Request 4—17 
			   Request 5—17 
			   Request 6—95 
			   Request 7—645 
			 2011/12 2 Request 1—1 
			   Request 2—26 
			 2012/13 6 Request 1—27 
			   Request 2—39 
			   Request 3—438 
			   Request 4—34 
		
	
	
		
			   Request 5—28 
			   Request 6—11 
			 2013/14 3 Request 1—16 
			   Request 2—1 
			   Request 3—35

Freezing Orders

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General, with reference to the answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 8W, on freezing orders, what value of the assets placed under those freezing orders were made subject to a confiscation order; and how much was confiscated.

Oliver Heald: Requests from overseas jurisdictions are confidential as they relate to ongoing criminal investigations and proceedings in the requesting country and it would be inappropriate to disclose any further details.

Nigeria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Attorney-General whether officials of the Crown Prosecution Service have (a) met the Attorney-General of Nigeria since January 2012, (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney-General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian Government and (c) received any requests for mutual legal assistance regarding the OPL 245 case.

Oliver Heald: The CPS criminal justice adviser in Abuja has met with the Attorney-General of Nigeria a number of times since January 2012 to discuss criminal justice reform. The CPS is not aware of any other contact between CPS officials and the Attorney-General of Nigeria.
	The CPS is not aware of any of its officials having conversations with the Attorney-General of Nigeria or with any other senior official of the Nigerian Government about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI.
	Requests for mutual legal assistance attract a duty of confidentiality to the requesting country and, therefore, the CPS can neither confirm nor deny the receipt of any such requests.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Attorney-General what visits each of the Ministers in the Law Officers’ Departments have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Oliver Heald: Details of Law Officer visits are published quarterly online at:
	www.gov.uk

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many (a) prosecutions and (b) successful prosecutions there were in each Crown Prosecution Service area for (i) assisting unlawful immigration to an EU member state, (ii) assisting entry to the UK in breach of a deportation or exclusion order, (iii) assisting the entry/remaining of an excluded person, (iv) possession and/or manufacture of false identity documents, (v) employment of illegal immigrants, (vi) trafficking in exploitation/for sexual exploitation, (vii) trafficking people for labour and other exploitation, (viii) conspiracy to traffic and (ix) slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour in the last five years for which figures are available.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service does not keep a central record of the number of prosecutions completed, and whether they were successful or not, for the offences listed in the question. This information could be obtained only by a manual examination of all files prosecuted which would incur disproportionate cost.
	Official statistics relating to criminal court proceedings and offenders brought to justice are maintained by the Ministry of Justice.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many referrals there were from local police forces to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in each CPS business area for a charging decision on the offences of (a) assisting unlawful immigration to an EU member state, (b) assisting entry to the UK in breach of a deportation or exclusion order, (c) assisting the entry/remaining of an excluded person, (d) possession and/or manufacture of false identity documents, (e) employment of illegal immigrants, (f) trafficking in exploitation/for sexual exploitation, (g) trafficking people for labour and other exploitation, (h) conspiracy to traffic and (i) slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service does not keep a central record of the number of referrals from the police for a charging decision for the offences listed in the question. This information could be obtained only by a manual examination of all files prosecuted which would incur disproportionate cost.
	Official statistics on crime and policing are maintained by the Home Office.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Attorney-General how many Crown prosecution lawyers have been trained to deal with offences of stalking under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, in each Crown Prosecution Service area; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has developed two online e-Learning courses on all types of stalking. The “Cyber Crime: Cyber Stalking” course includes cyber stalking, non-cyber stalking and harassment. The “Stalking and Harassment” course (which was released in April 2014) deals specifically with stalking and harassment offences, with emphasis on building a strong case, working closely with the police, appropriate charge selection, and engaging with victims throughout the legal process. The CPS maintains a central record of the number of prosecutors who have been trained to deal with stalking and harassment offences by way of the e-Learning courses.
	The following data were extracted from the CPS HR Database and the online Prosecution College Database on 11 June 2014. The data are based on those barristers or solicitors who held a practising certificate in the relevant period and were employed by the CPS on 11 June 2014. The data cover the period 1 November 2012 (the month when the Cyber Stalking e-Learning module was revised to include the new stalking offences) to 11 June 2014.The data include only those lawyers who have completed either the Cyber Stalking or Stalking and harassment e-Learning courses, including the evaluation modules, as the database records e-Learning based on completion of all elements of the course.
	
		
			 CPS Cyber Stalking and CPS Stalking and Harassment Completions: Lawyers by CPS Area 
			 Group Area Completions 
			 Casework divisions  99 
			 Headquarters  15 
			 National areas CPS Direct 268 
			  East Midlands 91 
			  East of England 81 
			  London 195 
			  Merseyside and Cheshire 36 
			  North East 72 
			  North West 121 
			  South East 50 
			  South West 41 
			  Thames and Chiltern 115 
			  Wales/Cymru 65 
			  Wessex 28 
			  West Midlands 55 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside 108 
			  POCU 7 
			 Grand total  1,447

Victims: Medical Records

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what discussions the Director of Public Prosecutions has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers about implementing the recommendations in the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspector report on the disclosure of medical records and counselling notes; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: There have been no discussions between the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) about implementing the recommendations in the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate report on the disclosure of medical records and counselling notes. The recommendations of the report were that Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) legal guidance on Rape and Sexual Offences was updated and that CPS Headquarters may wish to liaise with ACPO about such disclosure to develop a national police form for use when the police consult complainants. The guidance was updated on 12 December 2013 and the capture of information in a national police form is being considered as part of the work on digitisation of cases files and has been discussed with ACPO.

Victims: Medical Records

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what recent amendments have been made to Crown Prosecution Service guidance on (a) when to disclose the defence medical records and counselling notes of victims and (b) what action to take if victims do not consent to disclosure.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) revised its rape and sexual offence legal guidance in relation to disclosure of medical records and counselling notes on 12 December 2013. The revised guidance included guidance on both (a) when to disclose to the defence medical records and counselling notes of victims and (b) what action to take if victims do not consent to disclosure. The revised legal guidance is published on the CPS website at:
	http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/rape_and_sexual_offences/disclosure_and_third_party_material/

HEALTH

Antibiotics

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which Minister in his Department leads on anti-microbial resistance in the UK.

Jane Ellison: I generally lead on this Government priority. The Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (Dr Poulter), has a specific interest in relation to health-care-associated infections. However, all departmental Ministers act as advocates on this global public health issue that cuts across the Department's portfolio.

Brain: Blood Clots

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have had intra-arterial thrombectomy treatment to reduce the risk of blood clots in the brain in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information on the number of people who have had intra-arterial thrombectomy treatment to reduce the risk of blood clots in the brain is not held centrally.

Cancer: Drugs

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to increase the transparency of NICE's decisions on the Cancer Drugs Fund to remove any restrictions on treatment use arising from budgetary pressures and increase its level of engagement with members of the public.

Norman Lamb: The operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund is the responsibility of NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not have a role in the management of the fund.
	NHS England has a standard operating procedure for the Fund, which is available at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

Clinical Trials

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drug trials have taken place in the UK in each of the last three years.

Norman Lamb: The numbers of applications received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s Clinical Trials Unit for clinical trials of medicinal products over the past three financial years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total trials 
			 2011-12 920 
			 2012-13 935 
			 2013-14 989

Colitis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of ulcerative colitis there have been in each of the last three years.

Norman Lamb: Annual incidence data for ulcerative colitis are not collected. In its guidance, ‘Ulcerative colitis, Management in adults, children and young people’, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has estimated that there are 146,000 people in the United Kingdom with a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis.

Cystic Fibrosis

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adult cystic fibrosis patients were being cared for by specialist centres in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: Information concerning the number of adult cystic fibrosis (CF) patients cared for by specialist centres in each of the last 10 years is not available. These data have only been collected since the introduction of the tariff for CF services in 2011, and in the following table we have provided the number of adult patients cared for in each year since that time:
	
		
			  Adult Patients 
			 2011 3,885 
			 2012 4,107 
			 2013 4,244 
		
	
	More generally, we expect all CF patients to have a CF specialist in charge of their care and as part of the ongoing support they receive, to be assessed at specialist centres.

Diane Belshaw

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet Ms Diane Belshaw.

Norman Lamb: As Minister responsible for mental health policy, I would be happy to meet the hon. Lady and her constituent Ms Diane Belshaw. My diary secretary will contact the hon. Lady to make arrangements.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Daniel Poulter: The Department publishes Workforce Equality Data which consist of information about disciplinary cases combined with grievance cases, by ethnicity. This information is presented in the following table with the proportion of cases where ethnicity has not been declared.
	Detailed information on disciplinary cases alone is not held for this full period, as penalties which may have been imposed would have been ‘spent’.
	However, since 1 April 2013 detailed information is available and for the financial year 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014, 54% of staff who were subject to formal disciplinary proceedings were white British and 9% were of undeclared ethnicity.
	More information for the years 2012 to 2014 is available on the .GOV website on the following links:
	2012
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-health-workforce-information-2012
	2013
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-equality-information-department-of-health
	2014
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-equality-information-2014
	
		
			  Percentage of staff subject to formal disciplinary and grievance proceedings who have declared themselves to be white British Percentage of staff subject to formal disciplinary and grievance proceedings who have not declared ethnicity 
			 2012 55 14 
			 2013 52 10 
			 2014 50 0

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Daniel Poulter: Detailed information which specifically identifies dismissals following formal disciplinary proceedings is not held for this full period. The Department publishes workforce information on the .GOV website, which includes figures for staff that have left the Department.
	From 1 April 2013 changes have been made to how leaving reasons are recorded on the internal Human Resources System. For the financial year 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014, 14% of staff who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings were white British and for a further 14% ethnic origin is not recorded on the internal HR system, as declaration of ethnicity is voluntary for staff.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has exceeded the target set by the Cabinet Office for women in the senior civil service (SCS), met the target for black and minority ethnic (BME) staff in the SCS, and is 1% below the target for disabled staff in the SCS.
	
		
			  Cabinet Office Department 
			 SCS Group Target (%) Achievement (%) 
			 Women 37 41 
			 BME 5 5 
			 Disabled 5 4

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Daniel Poulter: The Department as part of its commercial contracts already includes discrimination and human rights provisions in its standard terms and conditions of contract and by submitting a tender or quotation to the Department, a supplier agrees to these terms.
	The Department is currently enhancing its approach to addressing equality issues in the procurement process.
	All organisations applying to the Department’s competed grant schemes are asked to confirm that they have an Equal Opportunities Policy Statement in place. Only applicants with a policy in place or in the process of being produced would meet the eligibility criteria for grant funding.
	The standard terms and conditions for grant awards contain a clause covering equality. All organisations that are awarded grants confirm that they agree to the terms and conditions prior to the release of the grant payment.

Food: Fraud

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of strengthening penalties for breaches of food law in reducing food fraud.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the competent authority for the food hygiene regulations. The FSA board has, on a number of occasions, highlighted its concern that the level of sanction imposed by the courts for food hygiene offences has not been sufficient to deter offending. The sentences imposed are often small when set against the potential profits to be accrued from non-compliance with the regulations. The FSA would welcome the strengthening of penalties for breaches of the food hygiene regulations.
	The FSA is also keen to ensure that there is consistency in sentencing for food hygiene offences. It has approached the Office of the Sentencing Council and requested that they consider producing sentencing guidelines for food hygiene offences. They are currently working with officials from the Council, who are hoping to produce draft guidelines that can be put before the full Sentencing Council.

Food: Fraud

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current tools available to enforcement officers to take swift action in tackling food fraud.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) works with local authority enforcement officers to ensure that food law is applied across the entire food chain. Direction and guidance on the approach that local authority food law regulatory services should take is given in the statutory Food Law Code of Practice (the Code). The FSA regularly assesses the effectiveness of tools available to these enforcement officers through undertaking audit of local authorities' enforcement services, reviewing the code and ensuring lessons are learnt from major incidents.
	The code sets out instructions and criteria to which the authorities must have regard and is periodically reviewed to ensure that it reflects current enforcement practices and supports local authorities’ delivery of their official control obligations and that enforcement is consistent, effective and proportionate.
	The FSA provides specific tools to support local authorities with investigations relating to potential food fraud. The FSA operates the Food Fraud Database, which utilises specialist intelligence management software to record intelligence reports and identify links, and uses this to assist local investigations. The FSA also provides local authorities with financial support through its Fighting Fund, expert advice through its Food Fraud Advisory Unit and holds dedicated training courses for enforcement officers.
	In addition, the FSA is building an enhanced intelligence gathering network to increase the opportunity to capture and act on intelligence which may be indicative of future risks relating to food fraud, as well as producing strategic and tactical assessments to share with relevant enforcement agencies.

Food: Fraud

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to strengthen food surveillance and the analytical capability of local authorities to pre-empt potential food fraud in the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: The main role for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in combating food fraud is to provide assistance and resources to United Kingdom local authorities (LAs) food-fraud-related investigations through the provision of financial support, expert advice and training. The FSA continues to develop its capability in relation to food fraud, working closely with other Government Departments, LAs and industry to detect and deter food fraud.
	The FSA provides additional funding on an annual basis to UK enforcement authorities for sampling and surveillance of food to help ensure risk-based targeted checks at ports and inland. Food authenticity and food adulteration issues have been prioritised in consultation with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department of Health.
	In 2013-14, the FSA made available £1.6 million to LAs and ports plus an additional £700,000 specifically for authenticity issues including:
	meat speciation and fish speciation by DNA testing;
	added water in chicken;
	authenticity of durum wheat; and
	authenticity of basmati rice.
	Over the last 12 months, FSA and DEFRA have worked with the Authenticity Steering Group to address and prioritise analytical method development for the Food Authenticity Research Programme. Current activities include knowledge transfer sessions, which have been joint-funded by FSA and DEFRA, to enhance the range of analytical methods available to support LA enforcement activity. For example, a knowledge transfer event took place for Public Analysts on DNA extraction processes in early 2014 with a further two planned for later this year.

Food: Fraud

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Food Standards Agency on joined-up action at both national and local level to tackle food fraud.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to develop its capability in relation to food fraud, working closely with other Government Departments including the Department of Health, local authorities and industry to detect and deter food fraud.
	The FSA is building an enhanced intelligence gathering network to increase the opportunity to capture and act on intelligence which may be indicative of future risks relating to food fraud, as well as producing strategic and tactical assessments to share with relevant enforcement agencies. Through this, the FSA has strengthened its links with other enforcement agencies, including the National Trading Standards Board, National Crime Agency, the Intellectual Property Office and the Gangmasters Licensing Agency. The FSA is a member of the Government Agencies Intelligence Network and is sharing and receiving intelligence through this network to support cross-Government investigations.
	At a European level, the FSA is fully engaged with the European Commission Food Fraud Team and its network which is now sharing intelligence to support cross-Europe investigations.
	The FSA also provides support to local authorities in their food-fraud-related investigations through the provision of financial support, expert advice and training.

Food: Fraud

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities have not conducted any sampling to check food composition over the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) collects food law enforcement monitoring returns from local authorities annually. Data for the period 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 are currently being collected. Following collation and analysis, the FSA plans to publish these data in November 2014.
	The FSA advises that the following local authorities did not report any food composition sampling in 2012-13 via the Local Authority Enforcement Monitoring System (LAEMS):
	Armagh
	Birmingham
	Blackburn
	Bolton
	Darlington
	Isle of Wight
	Leicester City
	Plymouth City
	Redcar and Cleveland
	Rochdale
	Rutland
	South Lanarkshire
	Swindon
	Tameside
	All of these authorities reported taking other labelling or microbiological samples in 2012-13.
	A table has been placed in the Library which shows how many food standards samples (composition and labelling) each local authority reported via LAEMS in 2012-13, together with a comparison against the number reported in 2011-12 and how many food standards samples each local authority reported through an FSA-funded project.
	All of the reported food standards samples were official samples and would have been submitted to the local authority's appointed public analyst for analysis. Out of 22,055 food standards samples in 2012-13, 4,387 were funded by the FSA; all other food standards samples would have been paid for by the local authority. By comparison, in 2011-12, the FSA funded 5,072 out of 21,970 food standards samples.
	For some local authorities, the FSA funded sampling figure is larger than the number included in the LAEMS report. The difference will be due to the LAEMS reports only including samples for which the analytical result was received from the Public Analyst before 31 March 2013.

Fruit Juices: Sugar

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with manufacturers of fruit juice about a reduction of levels of sugar in their products.

Jane Ellison: Eight businesses have signed up to the Responsibility Deal to reduce calories, including added sugar, in the soft drinks they produce and retail. Ministers and officials are continuing to engage with soft drinks businesses to encourage greater sign up to the calorie reduction pledge. The school food standards severely restrict the provision of foods and drinks that are high in sugar in schools.

General Practitioners: Sunderland

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of changes in average waiting times for GP appointments in Sunderland since May 2010.

Jane Ellison: No such estimate has been made.
	The following table contains results from NHS England’s 2013 GP Patients Survey. The survey collected data from January to March and July to September 2013.
	
		
			   Percentage 
			  Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group England 
			 Answered ‘good’ or ‘fairly good’ to “Overall, how would you describe your experience of making an appointment?” 80 76 
			 Answered ‘always or almost always’ or ‘a lot of the time’ to “How often do you see or speak to the GP you prefer?” 63 61 
			 Answered ‘less than 5 minutes’ or ‘5 to 15 minutes’ to “How long after your appointment time do you normally wait to be seen?” 72 66 
			 Answered ‘very easy’ or ‘fairly easy’ to “Generally, how easy is it to get through to someone at your GP surgery on the phone?” 81 74 
			 Answered ‘yes’ to “Is your GP surgery currently open at times that are convenient for you?” 82 76

Genetics

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many xx-positive cases have been recorded in the UK in each of the last 30 years.

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that no Trichinella infection has been found in United Kingdom domestic livestock in the past 30 years. Trichinellainfection in food-producing animals is controlled by European Union regulations, which are directly applicable in the UK. UK industry routinely tests export pigs as required by their export markets, and all sows and boars, horses and feral wild boar going through approved establishments for Trichinella (which currently amounts to about 3 to 4 million pigs a year), alongside an FSA programme of surveillance in wildlife.
	Monitoring for evidence of Trichinella infection in foxes has been carried out in the UK since 1999. Foxes are tested because they are a good indicator of the presence of infection. There have been only two incidences of Trichinella Spiralisfound in foxes in Northern Ireland, one in 2007 and one in 2009, and just one incident of Trichinella Pseudospiralis in a fox in Great Britain in 2013.
	In terms of human infections, Trichinellosis in humans is notifiable to the Department and any case that occurs is investigated and where possible the source of infection is identified. There have been no human cases acquired from meat produced in the UK for more than 30 years.
	10 cases of trichinellosis were diagnosed in the UK between 2000 and 2012, including an outbreak of eight cases in England and Wales in 2000. Eight of these cases were associated with the consumption of imported meat products. The remaining two cases were travel-related where infection was acquired abroad: one case in 2001, and the other 2010.

Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the British Medical Association and the Royal Colleges about potential improvements to the treatment of (a) brain injury and (b) chronic fatigue syndrome.

Norman Lamb: No recent discussions have taken place between the Department’s Ministers and either the British Medical Association or the Royal Colleges to discuss potential improvements to the treatment of either brain injury or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Health Services: Medway

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints his Department received from members of the public on care and treatment by Medway NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2010.

Jane Ellison: A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified 19 items of correspondence from members of the public received between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2010 which complain about care and treatment at Medway NHS Foundation Trust. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit only.

Influenza: Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken following his Department's consultation on a review of the procurement of seasonal influenza vaccine in May 2011.

Jane Ellison: No changes have been made since the consultation to procurement of vaccine for the existing seasonal flu programme, which are ordered directly by general practitioners from manufacturers or suppliers. However, vaccine for the programme for children aged two to 16 years, which began in 2013 and is being rolled out progressively, has been centrally procured. Experience of the childhood flu immunisation programme will help inform consideration of arrangements for procurement of influenza vaccine more widely.

Medical Records: Databases

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will carry out and publish a written risk assessment of the care.data programme; for what reason no such written risk assessment has been published; and which Minister in his Department took the decision not to publish such an assessment.

Daniel Poulter: There has been no decision made not to have a risk assessment for the care.data programme. Risks and issues are considered by the care.data programme board at regular meetings.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria his Department uses to evaluate tenders to provide children and adolescent mental health services.

Norman Lamb: NHS England has responsibility for commissioning Tier 4 (in-patient) child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Tiers 1-3 CAMHS are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).
	As with all procurement exercises undertaken by the national health service, there will be a clear service specification and evaluation criteria will be developed specific to the requirements of the service being tendered. Providers will then be able to submit a response, which NHS England or the CCG will assess and make a decision based on the outcome.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to better retain staff in children and adolescent mental health services.

Norman Lamb: The Government’s refreshed mandate to Health Education England (HEE), published on 1 May 2014, set out the requirements of HEE regarding recruitment, training and retention for the national health service workforce, including staff providing children and adolescent mental health services. Underpinning the HEE mandate is a Government investment of nearly £5 billion for 2014-15.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to maintain the quality of services provided by children and adolescent mental health services in the UK;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the quality of service provided by companies with contracts to provide children and adolescent mental health services.

Norman Lamb: NHS England has responsibility for commissioning Tier 4 (in-patient) child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Tiers 1-3 CAMHS are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). There are a number of measures in place to ensure the quality of Tier 4 CAMHS provided by companies:
	All providers of CAMHS need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
	National service specifications have been developed for Tier 4 CAMHS to which all service providers are required to adhere. These are used as part of the standard national health service contract. A copy of these documents can be found on NHS England’s website and accessed via the following links:
	www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-c/c07/
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/c07-tier4ch-ado-mh-aut.pdf
	All providers are monitored against the standard contract through evidence-based contract meetings. NHS England and the CQC may also undertake visits to the units to assess the quality of service being delivered.
	Where concerns or issues are raised about a particular unit, such matters are referred to the Area Team Quality Surveillance Group, chaired by Directors of Nursing, for consideration and discussion.
	Where there is significant cause for concern, NHS England may restrict or stop referrals to a particular unit. In extreme circumstances, the CQC has the powers to de-register a provider from being able to provide CAMH services.

Mental Health: Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the next British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey will be carried out.

Norman Lamb: The Department is currently looking at the options available for carrying out a new survey of children and young people's mental health.

Muscular Dystrophy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in licensing drugs to deal with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Norman Lamb: On 22 May 2014, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended granting a conditional marketing authorisation for Translarna (ataluren), an orphan designated medicine for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy caused by nonsense mutations. Translarna is to be used in patients aged five years and older who are able to walk.
	The CHMP opinion on Translarna will now be sent to the European Commission for adoption of a decision on a European Union-wide marketing authorisation.
	Other products are currently in various stages of development.

NHS: Finance

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which areas NHS England pays for NHS services through (a) block grants, (b) activity payment mechanisms and (c) outcomes-based approaches.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England (as opposed to clinical commissioning groups, which pay for the majority of NHS acute services) pays for NHS services through a mixture of block contracts, activity payment mechanisms and outcomes-based approaches in areas such as specialised commissioning, primary care, armed forces, health and justice and public health.
	The following table provides a breakdown of where various payments are made1.
	1 This is not a definitive list.
	
		
			 Speciality Block contracts Activity payment mechanisms Outcomes-based approaches 
			 Specialised Commissioning Mental health; Community services Acute sector; Some mental health and community services Commissioning for quality and innovation (CQUIN) payments 
		
	
	
		
			 Primary Care General Practice; Primary care dentistry; Community pharmacy; NHS optician services GP income—vaccinations, enhanced services; Units of dental activity; General Ophthalmic services claims—sight tests, vouchers, repairs and replacements Quality premium and quality outcome framework payments 
			 Armed Forces Veterans’ mental health Armed Forces contracts (except mental health) As per specialised contracts—CQUIN payments 
			 Health and Justice Primary and mental healthcare (prisons); Drug treatment services; Sexual assault referral centre services; Mental health liaison and diversion initiatives Consultant visits (prisons); Prison health watch; Escort and bed-watch charges; Some drug treatment services; Optical services; Sexual health services; Secondary care with acute providers CQUIN payments 
			 Public Health Screening services; Immunisation; Health visitor and family nurse partnerships; Child health information; 0-5 years services Some acute and community providers—screening services CQUIN payments

NHS: Innovation

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what evaluation was made of NHS innovation hubs by the Innovation, Health and Wealth sunset review;
	(2)  when the Innovation, Health and Wealth Sunset Review will be published.

Daniel Poulter: The sunset review of all National Health Service/Department of Health funded innovation and improvement bodies, which formed part of the implementation plan for Innovation, Health and Wealth, has been completed. Together with NHS England, we will be considering the approach to publication in due course.

NHS: Innovation

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what metrics have been used to monitor NHS England's compliance with its duty to promote innovation across all three stages of innovation;
	(2)  who is responsible for monitoring NHS England compliance with its duty to promote innovation across all three stages of innovation;
	(3)  who is responsible for auditing the compliance of clinical commissioning groups with their duty since the introduction of self-certification to provide innovation across all three stages of innovation;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to monitor the implementation of clinical commissioning groups' legal duty to promote innovation, adoption and diffusion of new techniques.

Daniel Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), is under a legal obligation to keep NHS England's performance in achieving its objectives, as set out in the mandate, under review. As part of this, he considers NHS England's compliance with its legal duties.
	NHS England has a statutory duty to promote innovation and clinical commissioning groups have a duty to promote innovation in the provision of health services in the exercise of their functions.
	The national health service's obligation to promote innovation is principally delivered through NHS England's Innovation, Health and Wealth programme.
	NHS England has advised that monthly reports on the Innovation, Health and Wealth programme are made to the Department, the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit and the Innovation, Health and Wealth board.

NHS: Intellectual Property

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  who is responsible for the intellectual property policy of the NHS;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation initiative on the commercialisation of intellectual property by NHS providers; and what metrics are used to monitor the commercialisation of such intellectual property;
	(3)  what Commissioning for Quality and Innovation payments have been made as a result of NHS providers complying with the commercialisation of intellectual property pre-qualification to date;
	(4)  how many commercial agreements were completed for the exploitation of NHS intellectual property by NHS organisations in each year from 2004 to 2010; and what total revenues to each such organisation was in each year from 2004 to 2010;
	(5)  how many commercial deals were completed to exploit NHS intellectual property in each NHS organisation in each year from 2010 to date; and what revenue accrued to each NHS organisation from such deals in each year from 2010;
	(6)  how many innovations of each type have been identified and recorded in each year following the implementation of the Cquin pre-qualification of the commercialisation of intellectual property.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England is responsible for the intellectual property strategy for the national health service.
	NHS England has advised that, as part of the Innovation, Health and Wealth work programme, it has undertaken a review of the existing NHS intellectual property strategy and is revisiting this as part of its refresh of Innovation, Health and Wealth that is currently being undertaken.

Pneumonia: Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the Statement of Financial Entitlements for the pneumococcal vaccination Directed Enhanced Service for aged 65 years and over and for at-risk groups does not include a national payment scheme.

Jane Ellison: The Directed Enhanced Service requires NHS England to establish a programme of pneumococcal vaccination for persons aged 65 years and over and to enter into arrangements with any primary medical services provider. It is for NHS England to determine the payments for this service. NHS England has agreed a national payment of £7.64 per dose for general medical services and personal medical services providers for delivering the programme. The national specification is currently being finalised and will be published in due course.

Pneumonia: Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of pneumococcal vaccine to (a) children, (b) adults under the age of 65 in at-risk groups and (c) adults over the age of 65; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The objective of the immunisation programme against pneumococcal infection is to protect individuals for whom such infection is likely to be more common and/or serious. The following groups are eligible for vaccination under the national immunisation programme:
	infants as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme;
	those aged 65 years or over; and
	children and adults in the clinical risk groups.
	We are not aware of any supply problems with pneumococcal vaccines.
	The levels of uptake of pneumococcal vaccines are high. Latest uptake figures show that 94.4% of children in England had completed a primary immunisation course of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine at 12 months of age in 2012-13. This compares with 94.2% in 2011-12. The corresponding figure in adults aged 65 years or over for pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine was 69.1% in 2012-13 compared with 68.3% in 2011-12.

Prostate Cancer

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to prevent NHS England from implementing restrictions on the use of new drugs for advanced prostate cancer, enzalutamide and abiraterone.

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance in June 2012 which recommends abiraterone (Zytiga) in its licensed indication for the treatment of castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen, subject to a patient access scheme agreed between the Department and the drug’s manufacturer.
	NICE is currently appraising (i) abiraterone for the treatment of metastatic hormone relapsed prostate cancer not previously treated with chemotherapy and (ii) enzalutamide for metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer in adults whose disease has progressed during or after docetaxel-containing chemotherapy.
	National health service commissioners are legally required to fund those treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance.
	In the absence of NICE technology appraisal guidance it is for the relevant NHS commissioner to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence. The NHS constitution states that patients have the right to expect local decisions on the funding of drugs and treatments ‘to be made rationally following a proper consideration of the evidence'.
	We understand that abiraterone as a first-line treatment is available through the Cancer Drugs Fund to NHS patients in England who could benefit from it, and that enzalutamide is also available through the Cancer Drugs Fund to patients who meet specified clinical criteria.

Skin Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of advances in the treatment of melanoma.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has published a service specification for adult skin cancer services which sets out what the national health service must have in place to offer high quality skin cancer treatment, care and support. Embedded in this is the best practice guidance on skin cancer published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
	‘Improving Outcomes for People with Skin Tumours, including Melanoma’, published by NICE in 2006 and updated in 2010, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of patients with skin cancer, including melanoma.
	NICE is also planning to develop a skin cancer quality standard. Quality standards are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers what a high quality service should look like and they play a key role in helping to drive up standards of care.
	Making significant progress in ensuring people have access to the right treatment when they need it, including drugs and treatments recommended by NICE, is an objective for NHS England with regard to cancer under the mandate.

Skin Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the drug pembrolizumab will be available on the NHS for treatment of skin cancer.

Norman Lamb: The manufacturer of pembrolizumab, Merck, has not yet filed an application for a marketing authorisation for use in the European Union.
	Hospital doctors can arrange for the supply of any drug or other substance, even one not normally available on national health service prescription, provided the patient’s commissioner agrees to supply it at NHS expense. The doctor would, in those circumstances, have to retain clinical responsibility for the patient while prescribing the drug in question.

Skin Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the cancer drug known as anti-PDL1; and when he expects that drug to be available for use in the NHS.

Norman Lamb: There have been no discussions with the Royal Colleges on the use of anti-PDL1 to treat cancer. In order for a medicine to be placed on the United Kingdom and European Union markets, the manufacturer must first apply to obtain a marketing authorisation from either the European Medicines Agency or the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. This medicine appears to be in early stage development and no estimation can be made of when it will be placed on the market.

Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the uptake rate was of each (a) childhood vaccination, (b) vaccination for people aged 65 and over and (c) vaccination for people who fall into risk groups recommended by his Department as a proportion of the total eligible population for the vaccination, in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Ellison: Much of the information requested is contained in “NHS Immunisation Statistics, England 2012-13” published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) on 26 September 2013. This provides vaccine uptake rates for routine childhood vaccinations. It also contains more limited information on the uptake of adult influenza immunisations. The report provides uptake information covering the period from 2002-03 to 2012-13. Tables 1 to 3 on pages 54 to 55 are particularly pertinent to the question. A copy of the HSCIC report has been placed in the Library.
	Additional information on vaccine uptake which is not contained in the HSCIC report is set out as follows.
	(a) Childhood vaccination. Immunisation is offered to girls aged 12-13 to protect against the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus which can cause cervical cancer. Uptake of HPV vaccination from 2008-09, when it was introduced, is set out in Table 1. Figures for 2013-14 are not yet available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Annual HPV vaccine uptake for females aged 12 to 13 years (England) 
			 Academic year Dose Uptake (percentage) 
			 2008/09 At least 1 dose 88.1 
			  At least 2 doses 86.0 
			  3 doses 80.1 
			    
			 2009/10 At least 1 dose 84.3 
			  At least 2 doses 82.3 
			  3 doses 76.4 
			    
			 2010/11 At least 1 dose 88.9 
			  At least 2 doses 87.5 
			  3 doses 84.2 
			    
			 2011/12 At least 1 dose 90.6 
			  At least 2 doses 89.6 
			  3 doses 86.8 
			    
			 2012/13 At least 1 dose 90.9 
		
	
	
		
			  At least 2 doses 89.6 
			  3 doses 86.1 
		
	
	Immunisation against influenza is offered to children with certain clinical conditions which put them at greater risk of the effects of influenza. Vaccine uptake is set out in Table 2.
	
		
			 Table 2: Annual influenza vaccine uptake for children with clinical conditions aged 6 months to under16 years (England) 
			 Percentage 
			  Vaccine Uptake 
			  Children aged 6 months to 2 years with clinical condition Children aged 2 to under 16 years with clinical condition 
			 2006/07 6.2 22.3 
			 2007/08 6.2 22.3 
			 2008/09 7.3 23.8 
			 2009/10 16.5 34.5 
			 2010/11 25.2 39.3 
			 2011/12 22.5 38.3 
			 2012/13 24.3 38.7 
			 2013/14 24.2 42.6 
		
	
	In September 2013 vaccination of healthy two and three-year-old children against influenza was introduced. From September 2013 to January 2014, 42.6% of two-year-old children, and 39.5% of three-year-old children were vaccinated.
	(b) People aged 65 and over. Influenza vaccination is offered to this group. Vaccine uptake is set out in Table 3.
	
		
			 Table 3: Annual influenza vaccine uptake for people aged 65 or over (England) 
			  Vaccine Uptake (percentage) 
			 2004/05 71.4 
			 2005/06 75.3 
			 2006/07 73.9 
			 2007/08 73.5 
			 2008/09 74.1 
			 2009/10 72.4 
			 2010/11 72.8 
			 2011/12 74.0 
			 2012/13 73.4 
			 2013/14 73.2 
		
	
	Immunisation is also offered against pneumococcal disease. The figures in Table 4 show the percentage of the population who have ever received a pneumococcal disease vaccine (PPV) since the age of 65. Figures for 2013-14 are not yet available.
	
		
			 Table 4: PPV uptake for people aged 65 or over (England) 
			  Vaccine Uptake (percentage) 
			 2005/06 64.4 
			 2006/07 66.6 
			 2007/08 69.0 
			 2008/09 68.2 
			 2009/10 69.4 
			 2010/11 70.5 
			 2011/12 68.3 
			 2012/13 69.1 
		
	
	(c) People in risk groups. Influenza vaccination has been offered to all pregnant women since the 2010/11 flu season. Vaccine uptake is set out in Table 5.
	
		
			 Table 5: Annual influenza vaccine uptake for all pregnant women (England) 
			  Vaccine Uptake (percentage) 
			 2010/11 38.0 
			 2011/12 27.4 
			 2012/13 40.3 
			 2013/14 39.8 
		
	
	Influenza vaccination is also offered to people with certain clinical conditions which put them at greater risk of the effects of influenza. Vaccine uptake is set out in Table 6.
	
		
			 Table 6: Annual influenza vaccine uptake for people with clinical conditions aged 16 to under 65 years (England) 
			  Vaccine Uptake (percentage) 
			 2006/07 45.1 
			 2007/08 48.6 
			 2008/09 50.2 
			 2009/10 53.6 
			 2010/11 51.7 
			 2011/12 53.2 
			 2012/13 52.8 
			 2013/14 53.4

Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment (a) he and (b) NHS England have made of the consistency of NHS England's commissioning of immunisation services in different areas of the country; what plans NHS England has to conduct such an assessment in the future; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: NHS England and Public Health England completed a joint stocktake review of the screening and immunisation services commissioned by NHS England earlier this year. The Department will discuss the findings of the review with NHS England in relation to the NHS public health functions agreement, including steps to bring services consistently into line with their national specifications.

Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish detailed expenditure by NHS England on vaccination and immunisation services in 2013-14.

Jane Ellison: We will publish later this year available information about expenditure on the national health service public health programmes commissioned by NHS England, including national immunisation programmes. The NHS public health functions agreement with NHS England describes the required breakdown of expenditure which does not include detailed expenditure for immunisation programmes.

Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans (a) NHS England and (b) Public Health England have to fund awareness campaigns to increase vaccination uptake rates.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for awareness campaigns for immunisation and keeps these matters under close review.
	Immunisation is one of the key behaviours under Start4Life—PHE’s programme to help parents give their children the best start in life, from pregnancy up to five years of age. Immunisation is promoted on the Start4Life website and within the Start4Life information for parents e-mails and text messages.
	NHS England has no plans to fund national awareness campaigns for immunisation programmes.

Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS England plans to commission immunisation services through the any qualified provider procurement model.

Jane Ellison: NHS England's area teams are already free to commission provision of immunisation services as they see fit in accordance with relevant legislation, to ensure that immunisation services are safe, effective, and of high quality. For example, NHS England commissions community pharmacies as supplementary providers of seasonal influenza immunisation.

Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps NHS England is taking to reduce inequalities in access to immunisation programmes.

Jane Ellison: Reduction of health inequalities is a service delivery requirement in the national service specifications for immunisation services under the national health service public health functions agreement between the Secretary of State and NHS England and is monitored by area teams in contract reviews with providers.
	NHS England's area teams seek to reduce inequalities in access to immunisation programmes at local level and improve engagement with groups that do not readily access health services, working in partnership with key stakeholders through health needs assessments and the joint strategic needs assessments used by the health and wellbeing boards.

Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment NHS England has made of the effectiveness of the delivery of vaccines to recommend at-risk groups of people under 65 in need of (a) influenza, (b) pneumococcal and (c) pertussis vaccines.

Jane Ellison: NHS England uses vaccine uptake data to assess the effectiveness of immunisation programmes at local, regional and national levels, which it commissions under the NHS public health functions agreement made with the Secretary of State. This agreement includes key deliverables for vaccine coverage which are set out in the agreement.
	Influenza vaccination coverage for at-risk individuals from six months to under 65 years of age (excluding pregnant women) is included as a key deliverable in the agreements for 2013-14 and 2014-15, as is pertussis vaccine uptake for pregnant women in the agreement for 2014-15. There are baseline uptake levels for both these programmes.
	In 2013-14, influenza vaccination coverage for at-risk individuals from six months to under 65 years of age, excluding pregnant women was 51.3% compared with the baseline of 50.0%. The baseline for 2014-15 is 51.3%. For pertussis vaccine uptake for pregnant women, the baseline in 2014-15 is 50.0%.
	A copy of the agreements for 2013-14 (including the variation to the agreement) and for 2014-15 have been placed in the Library.

Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what target vaccination rates are set for each public-funded vaccination programme; what changes have been made to those rates in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Our objective is to achieve the highest possible uptake rates for all vaccinations in the national immunisation programme. The Department and NHS England, advised by Public Health England, have produced a series of service specifications for the commissioning of immunisation services. These generally state that local services must ensure that they maintain and improve immunisation uptake with the aspiration of 100% of relevant individuals being offered immunisation.
	We also recognise and support the work of international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) on optimising vaccine uptake, and adopt its recommendations where they are based on firm scientific evidence and are appropriate to United Kingdom conditions. Since 1996, the European region of the WHO has recommended that, on a national basis, at least 95% of children are immunised against diseases preventable by immunisation and targeted for elimination or control (specifically, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), measles, mumps and rubella).
	There are also vaccine uptake aspirations relating to influenza vaccination. Since 2008, the objective of the immunisation programme has been to achieve at least 75% uptake among the population aged 65 and over (before 2008 it was 70%). Since the winter of 2013-14, this 75% figure has also applied to those aged under 65 years of age with a clinical condition (previously 70% in 2012-13 and 60% in 2011-12). In 2013-14, any national health service trust that was eligible for a share of £250 million accident and emergency funding for 2014-15 was asked to ensure that at least 75% of its own staff were vaccinated against influenza.

Varicose Veins

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have had varicose veins surgery in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: This information is not available in the format requested.
	In the following table, we have provided information concerning the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)1 with a primary or secondary procedure2 of varicose vein treatment3 for the years 2008-09 to 2012-134. It should be noted that this is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one episode of care within the same time period. These data also include non-surgical treatment such as radio-frequency ablation and other treatments.
	
		
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  FCEs 
			 2008-09 36,997 
			 2009-10 36,366 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 33,620 
			 2011-12 27,731 
			 2012-13 24,767 
			 1A finished consultant episode is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health-care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. 2 The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 procedure fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. 3 Codes used to identify varicose vein treatment include combined operations on varicose vein of leg, ligation of varicose vein of leg, injection into varicose vein of leg, other operations on varicose vein of leg, and transluminal operations on varicose vein of leg. 4 HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within her Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within her Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years were white British.

Alan Duncan: Declaration of ethnicity for staff at DFID is voluntary and it is therefore not possible to confirm the ethnicity of any staff who have been subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what targets her Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Alan Duncan: DFID has aligned with the civil service-wide diversity targets for levels of representation in the senior civil service (SCS). These targets are:
	39% of the SCS to be women—DFID has achieved this target as 39% of our SCS are women;
	34% of top management posts (director and above) to be held by women—DFID has exceeded this target as 42% of such posts are held by women;
	5% of the senior civil service to be minority ethnic staff—DFID has exceeded this target as 7% of our SCS are minority ethnic; and
	5% of the senior civil service to be disabled people—DFID has exceeded this target as 6% of our SCS identify as having a disability.
	In addition to this, DFID has made a commitment to improve staff engagement survey scores for people with disabilities as this is recognised as an issue across Government. DFID has improved the overall staff engagement survey score for staff with disabilities from 65% in November 2012 to 71% in November 2013.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consideration her Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Alan Duncan: DFID considers a number of factors including relevant diversity clauses when considering contracts and grants.

Western Sahara

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Western Sahara.

Lynne Featherstone: The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) is currently monitoring the ceasefire and humanitarian situation in Western Sahara which is stable at present. There remain large numbers of refugees from Western Sahara in refugee camps in Algeria, and humanitarian agencies report high levels of malnutrition among the refugee population.
	The UK provides protection and support to refugees in Algeria through its core contributions to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Relations: Islam

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has (a) budgeted and (b) spent on work with Muslim organisations to further integration and community cohesion in (i) the current financial year and (ii) each of the last three years.

Stephen Williams: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 385W.

Crime

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which organisations involved in reporting hate crime his Department has funded in each financial year since May 2010.

Stephen Williams: DCLG supports a series of organisations who tackle hatred in all its forms. Reporting forms only one part of this, complementing the work of organisations such as the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Show Racism the Red Card and the Anne Frank Trust that DCLG supports to tackle hate crime.
	DCLG has provided funding to the following organisations that report hate crime.
	
		
			 Organisation Financial year Amount of funding (£) 
			 Tell MAMA 2011-12 91,567 
			  2012-13 223,517 
			  2013-14 80,457 
			 True Vision 2012-13 75,000 
			  2013-14 25,000

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Brandon Lewis: This Government procure on the basis of value for money. Departments and the Crown Commercial Service will ensure that social, economic and sustainability issues are considered in procurement projects and that specifications, terms and conditions and evaluation criteria are developed to ensure that the relevant issues are addressed as appropriate for the subject matter of the requirements.
	As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 6 September 2013, Official Report, column 33WS, on the Government response to the public sector equality duty review, there is clear evidence of equality and diversity policies going too far in the other direction, by imposing unreasonable and expensive burdens on organisations bidding for public sector contracts. The Government have committed to reducing procurement gold-plating by the public sector.

Fire Services: Pensions

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he intends to bring forward new proposals for the Firefighters' Pension Scheme.

Brandon Lewis: On 23 May I published a consultation on draft regulations to implement the Proposed Final Agreement for the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2015. Under this scheme design a firefighter who earns £29,000 and retires after a full career aged 60 will get a £19,000 a year pension. The consultation can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-regulations-to-introduce-a-new-firefighters-pension-scheme-from-april-2015
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Homelessness

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department has (a) conducted or (b) commissioned on recent trends in homelessness among people under the age of 35 years.

Kris Hopkins: This Government are continuing to work hard to support vulnerable homeless people get their lives back on track.
	We commissioned Homeless Link to undertake studies on youth homelessness in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. All three reports are available at:
	www.homeless.org.uk/youth-homelessness
	Tackling youth homelessness is a priority for this Government and on 10 June I announced a package of £65 million funding from across Whitehall to tackle homelessness, with youth homelessness a central part of the programmes. The package includes:
	£41.5 million which will be shared between the Homelessness Change Programme to provide tailored temporary hostel accommodation for rough sleepers to get them off the streets and transform their lives through health, training and education facilities and Platform for Life—a low-rent, shared accommodation programme for low-needs homeless young people so they have a stable platform for work and study;
	£15 million for the Fair Chance Fund which aims to improve the accommodation, employment and training outcomes for vulnerable homeless 18 to 25-year-olds;
	£8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund that will improve council services for single people facing the prospect of homelessness and;
	over £580,000 to extend the Homelessness Gold Standard scheme which helps councils to improve frontline housing services for homeless families and single people.
	This is in addition to the £470 million this Government have invested over the spending review period to tackle and prevent homelessness, and work we are already supporting to look at how local services for young people at risk of homelessness can be better joined up, to develop the skills needed to help homeless people into employment and to help single homeless people find accommodation in the private rented sector.

Radicalism

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) published since May 2010 on citizenship and public attitudes towards extremism.

Stephen Williams: My Department has not commissioned any such research since 2010.
	We have not published any such work other than the legacy Citizenship Survey, which was discontinued in 2011, as it represented poor value for money for its £4 million a year cost.
	Instead, we have focused on front-line support for integration projects. A summary of our integration work can be found online at:
	https://www.flickr.com/photos/communitiesuk/sets/72157644380501531/

Radicalism

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department has provided directly to the public to help understand the threat from extremism and to promote integration; and whether such information has been made available in languages other than English.

Stephen Williams: We recognise that local communities know their own areas best and our approach is to enable local authorities, communities, businesses and voluntary bodies to lead integration in their local areas.
	To kick-start this approach, we support a range of practical exemplar projects which demonstrate positive or pioneering ideas that are community-led and create the conditions for people to live successfully alongside each other. Ministers have also recently led a series of roadshows to engage directly with the public to inform them about our integration projects and cross-Government work to tackle extremism and hate crime. To accompany these roadshows DCLG has produced infographics summarising our integration work. They are available online at:
	https://www.flickr.com/photos/communitiesuk/sets/72157644380501531/
	In our written ministerial statement of 12 March 2013, Official Report, columns 5-6WS, we made clear that translating material into other languages is expensive, and can hinder integration, encourage segregation and reduce incentives to learn English.

Rents

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what progress he has made on developing a model for rent review clauses which are index-linked to inflation;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 8 April 2014 to the hon. Member for Bradford East (Mr Ward), Official Report, columns 222-3W, on private rented housing, when he intends to publish a new model tenancy agreement.

Kris Hopkins: We are continuing to work with key partners, including the Competition and Markets Authority, to ensure that the clauses in the model residential tenancy agreement provide the right protections and an appropriate balance between the rights of landlords and tenants who choose to use the agreement. In that respect we are looking at the merits of index-linked rent review clauses. We aim to publish the model in the summer when our discussions with partners are finalised, so landlords and tenants can, with confidence, use the agreement.
	I would note that the model tenancy agreement is a voluntary approach. It is in contrast to HM Opposition's plans for the re-introduction of statist rent controls, which would destroy investment in the private rented sector. The interests of tenants are best served by avoiding excessive regulation which would ultimately force up rents and reduce supply and choice.

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

Brandon Lewis: All questions due for answer before Prorogation received a substantive reply. No Prorogation answers were given.

JUSTICE

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure that community rehabilitation companies operated by external providers are considered public bodies for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Jeremy Wright: Contracts with new community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) formed as part of our transforming rehabilitation market competition will be used to ensure that the Department’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) obligations are met. This is in line with recommendations from the Justice Select Committee and current Government policy that emphasis should be placed on the use of contracts to maintain transparency, rather than a formal extension of the FOIA to private providers.
	A code of practice will be issued later this year to remind public authorities of their obligations under FOIA in relation to information held by contractors. This will encourage public authorities and contractors to go beyond the minimum FOIA requirements, and provide a wider range of information than that which is within scope of FOIA. We will ensure a commitment to transparency in the operations of the new providers is maintained.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British;
	(2)  what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Simon Hughes: Staff within the Ministry of Justice (MoJ HQ), HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) and Legal Aid Agency (LAA) can, but are not compelled to, declare their ethnicity. Consequently, definitive figures for the proportion of white British staff who have been dismissed or subject to formal disciplinary proceedings over the last five financial years cannot be provided.
	The MoJ Diversity report for 2012-13 provides an overview of information on staff grievances, investigations, conduct and discipline. This can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/279638/moj-diversity-data-report-2012-13.pdf
	This information has not been collated or published in respect of earlier financial years.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Simon Hughes: The MoJ has a longstanding commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and making sure that we are representative of the society we serve. The principle of appointment on merit is the foundation of civil service recruitment and enshrined in law.
	The MoJ does not have any published targets but we annually review and publish the demographics of our workforce:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-report-2012-13
	This information is used to inform policy of action in the future and set out in the MoJ equality objectives:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209087/moj-equality-objectives.pdf#
	We have made good progress in making the MoJ a more diverse place to work. For example, the MoJ's management board has an equal mix of women and men at executive (50%) and non-executive level (50%) levels, and we are led by a female permanent secretary, Ursula Brennan.
	17% of MoJ staff members promoted last year were not white. This is an increase of 2% on the previous year. 10% more women were promoted in 2012-13 than in 2011-12.

Fly-tipping

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make representations to the Sentencing Council requesting it to ensure that the strictest possible sentences are given to fly-tippers.

Jeremy Wright: The Government are concerned by the damage to the environment that fly-tipping and other unlawful deposits of waste can cause. That is why we have provided law enforcement agencies and the courts with powers to deal with such offending.
	In regard to sentencing, the independent Sentencing Council conducted a consultation on environmental offences in 2013 and has issued a sentencing guideline for environmental offences which will take effect on 1 July 2014. Judges and magistrates are required to follow the guidelines unless it would not be in the interests of justice to do so.

Life Imprisonment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the highest total number of life sentences given to any single offender is in the last 30 years.

Jeremy Wright: A life sentence is mandatory for murder and discretionary life sentences are available for other very serious offences. This Government has introduced an automatic life sentence for a second very serious violent or sexual offence.
	The number of offenders who receive two or more life sentences is small. A number of life sentence prisoners commit offences in prison which result in a second life sentence, as is the case with the offender identified in response to this question. Some life sentence prisoners can also receive a second life sentence on conviction for offences committed prior to being imprisoned (e.g. a previous murder or rape).
	Of all offenders sentenced to life imprisonment between the years 2000 and 2013, the offender with the highest number of life sentences imposed on separate sentencing occasions in the 30 years prior to their most recent life sentence is an offender with four life sentences. All of the offender's life sentences were imposed for the attempted murder of fellow inmates and a guard.
	The figure provided has been drawn from an extract of the Police National Computer (PNC) data held by the Department. The PNC holds details of all convictions and cautions given for recordable offences committed in England and Wales. Full criminal histories are only available for offenders convicted or cautioned for a recordable offence from the year 2000 onwards. In addition, as with any large-scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Michael Wheatley

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether approval was sought from Ministers for the decision to move Michael Wheatley to an open prison;
	(2)  on what grounds Michael Wheatley was moved to an open prison.

Jeremy Wright: It would not be appropriate to place in the public domain information specific to the parole review and advice received by the independent Parole Board in respect of an individual prisoner.
	However, an indeterminate sentence prisoner is transferred to open conditions only after a robust risk assessment and, in most cases, upon the recommendation of the independent Parole Board. In making its risk assessment, the Parole Board is provided with reports from a range of professional staff from within the National Offender Management Service, all of whom can be required to attend the Parole Board hearing and give evidence directly to the board if required to do so. In making its recommendation, the board’s overriding priority at all times is the safety of the public.
	For many prisoners, open prisons provide a controlled environment, more closely akin to the outside community, in which to support resettlement and assess risk, in order to inform decision-making on potential eventual release. Open prisons provide such prisoners with an opportunity to establish stronger links with their family and to develop suitable employment and accommodation plans in time for their eventual release. Indeterminate sentence prisoners who fail to comply with the regime or whose behaviour gives cause for concern are swiftly returned to secure conditions.
	Decisions as to whether to accept a Parole Board recommendation to transfer an indeterminate sentence prisoner to open conditions or to direct the transfer of such a prisoner without a Parole Board recommendation are taken by officials within the National Offender Management Service on behalf of Ministers, in accordance with the Carltona principle. Such decisions are not referred to Ministers—this is in line with 1994 and 2006 guidance.
	The public have understandable concerns in the light of this case of a failure to return from temporary release from open prison, which led to a further offence. Keeping the public safe is our priority and we will not allow the actions of a small minority of offenders to undermine public confidence in the prison system. The number of temporary release failures remains very low— less than one failure in every 1,000 releases and about five in every 100,000 releases involving alleged offending— but we take each and every incident seriously. The Government have already ordered immediate changes to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. With immediate effect, prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions if they have previously absconded from open prisons or if they have failed to return or reoffended while released on temporary licence.

Nigeria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether Ministers or officials of his Department have (a) met the Attorney-General of Nigeria since January 2012 and (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney-General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian Government.

Jeremy Wright: I have met the Nigerian Attorney-General twice, on 1 October 2013 and 9 January 2014, to discuss justice issues and was accompanied by officials on both occasions.

Prisoners' Release

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners released on temporary licence in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 were serving custodial sentences for serious violent and sexual assaults;
	(2)  of what offences had prisoners released on temporary licence in each of the last four years been convicted.

Jeremy Wright: We commissioned a fundamental review of release on temporary licence (ROTL) policy and practice last year and, in March, announced a package of measures to ensure that the public was properly protected. We have brought forward some of those measures so that they begin to take effect immediately, particularly with more serious offenders, where the review concluded that an enhanced risk assessment approach should be taken. These offenders must have their release agreed by the governor or deputy and the board considering release must have sight of a psychologist’s case review report. Temporary licence is an important tool in preparing prisoners for release from prison but we must make sure it is done safely and that the public can feel confident in the risk assessment and monitoring arrangements.
	Data in relation to the main offence types for offenders released on temporary licence are recorded in the following categories:
	Violence against the person
	Sexual offences
	Robbery
	Burglary
	Theft and handling
	Fraud and forgery
	Drug offences
	Motoring offences
	Other offences
	Offence not recorded
	It is therefore not possible to determine the number of offenders serving custodial sentences for serious violent and sexual assaults who were released on temporary licence without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Offenders convicted of offences within each of these categories, with the exception of motor offences, were released on temporary licence in each year between 2011 and 2013. Data for 2010 cannot be provided due to a database migration.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the daily average (a) number and (b) proportion is of prisoners serving custodial sentences who are out of prison on temporary licence in each county;
	(2)  what the daily average (a) number and (b) proportion is of prisoners serving custodial sentences who are out of prison on temporary licence from category (i) A, (ii) B, (iii) C and (iv) D prisons;
	(3)  what the daily average (a) number and (b) proportion is of (i) male and (ii) female prisoners serving custodial sentences who are out of prison on temporary licence.

Jeremy Wright: Temporary release can be a valuable tool in the resettlement of prisoners in the community but it must never take place at the expense of public safety. We conducted a fundamental review of the policy and practice of rerelease on temporary licence (ROTL) after serious failures last year. We are introducing a system that enhances the assessment of serious offenders and restricts access to ROTL to cases where there is a clear, legitimate reason for the release. We have already introduced some of these changes and have additionally introduced a restriction on prisoners transferring to open conditions and having ROTL if they have previously absconded from open prisons or if they have failed to return or reoffended while released on temporary licence.
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time specified. I will write to my hon. Friend with an answer as soon as possible.

Secure Colleges: Leicestershire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria were used to award the construction contract for the planned secure college in Leicestershire.

Jeremy Wright: Bids that were evaluated to have passed a predetermined non-price evaluation score threshold then had their price evaluated to verify that they complied with the price threshold requirements.
	Bids that passed both thresholds had the non-price evaluation score and the price combined to create the overall price per quality point. The offer with the lowest price per quality value is considered to be the most economically advantageous and was recommended for contract award.
	A total of 44 non-price evaluation tests spread across six workstreams were set for bidders as part of the competition for the design and build for the secure college pathfinder. The six workstream headings are listed as follows:
	Workstream Headings
	Design, Operation and Security Considerations
	Management
	Programme, Methodology and Project Management
	SME Engagement and Local Interface
	Completed Product Handback and Handover to Operator
	Procurement and Commercial Management

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) sex offenders and (b) sex offender treatment programme places there were in each prison in each of the last four years.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to answer this question within the time available. I will write to the right hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of probation staff have received training in sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Jeremy Wright: Sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, which were inserted by virtue of section 111 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012,have been included in the curriculum of the Probation Qualification Framework since 2012.
	The Home Office has funded the development and delivery of a training package on stalking for frontline professionals which is being delivered by Women's Aid, in collaboration with Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service. This training is currently taking place nationwide. The training material is also available for use by organisations and agencies to deliver sessions themselves.
	Training details relating to probation staff are held locally, but have not been collected centrally and could not be collected without incurring disproportionate cost.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many persons convicted under sections (a) 2A and (b) 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 have been given a custodial sentence of (i) less than 12, (ii) 12 to 24, (iii) 24 to 36 and (iv) more than 36 months;
	(2)  how many people have been convicted under (a) section 2A and (b) section 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 since November 2012;
	(3)  how many persons convicted under actions (a) 2A and (b) 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 have been given custodial sentences.

Jeremy Wright: The most recent figures showing the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody for offences under Sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, in England and Wales, from 2012 to 2013 (the latest data available), can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts of offences under Sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, England and Wales, 2012 to 20131,2,3 
			 Section of Act Outcome 2012 2013 
			 Section 2A4 Proceeded against 8 293 
			  Found guilty 2 196 
			  Sentenced 2 192 
			  Of which:   
			  Immediate custody 0 35 
			  Of which:   
			  up to 12 months 0 35 
			  12 to 24 months 0 0 
			  over 24 months 0 0 
			     
			 Section 4A5 Proceeded against 0 154 
			  Found guilty 0 53 
			  Sentenced 0 42 
			  Of which:   
			  Immediate custody 0 14 
			  Of which:   
			  up to 12 months 0 10 
			  12 to 24 months 0 4 
			  over 24 months 0 0 
			 1 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed for two or more offences. The offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown Court, may be sentenced in the following year. 4 Pursue course of conduct in breach of S.1(1) of the Act which amounts to stalking. 5 Stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm and distress. Note: Offences introduced 25 November 2012. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Victim Support Schemes

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what funding from the public purse was provided to support victims’ services in each of the last 10 years.

Damian Green: The Government are committed to ensuring victims of crime are fully supported and are making more money available than ever before for victims’ services. The table below shows the funding provided by the Ministry of Justice to organisations supporting victims of crime since the Department was formed in 2007.
	
		
			 Financial year Total funding to victims’ services1 (£ million) 
			 2007-08 38.17 
			 2008-09 39.32 
		
	
	
		
			 2009-10 40.52 
			 2010-11 48.43 
			 2011-12 49.6 
			 2012-13 50.45 
			 2013-14 255.57 
			 1 Includes receipts from offenders through the victim surcharge (since 2007-08), increased penalty notices for disorder and motoring fixed penalty notices (since 2013-14), and Prisoners’ Earning Act 1996 income (since 2011-12). 2 This figure does not include the PEA contribution as this has not yet been finalised and published. In addition, £20.8 million was made available to police and crime commissioners in 2013-14, but because it was provided late in the financial year, only £4.95 million of funding was able to be spent. However, the unspent amount remains available for PCCs to spend in 2014-15. Additionally, a small number of payments due to be made in 2013-14 had to be accrued for and were paid at the beginning of 2014-15.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the 90 UK personnel plan to provide mentoring and related support to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy he expects (a) to be female and (b) to be able to provide gender-sensitive training.

Mark Francois: The UK currently provides six female mentors to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy’s (ANAOA) female training platoon. One additional female mentor is involved in the wider training programme at the Academy.
	Many of the mentor posts at the ANAOA are reserved for male service personnel, owing to the cultural sensibilities of our Afghan partners. We will continue to seek opportunities to deploy females into other mentoring posts to demonstrate to the Afghan National Army (ANA) that servicewomen are exemplars and can be employed across a wide range of roles.
	In relation to gender-sensitive training, one of the ANAOA’s core training objectives is: “Comply with ANA gender integration/equality and diversity policy”. The course covers international law, human rights and women’s rights, Islamic attitudes (including towards women) and the rights of the family, focusing on the role and equality of women in contemporary Afghan society.

Afghanistan

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 395W, on Afghanistan, whether recruits at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy in Afghanistan will receive specific training on UN Security Council resolution 1325.

Mark Francois: Officer Cadets at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) in Afghanistan receive specific training on UN Security Council resolution 1325. This supports one of the ANAOA’s core training objectives to: “Comply with Afghan National Army gender integration/equality and diversity policy”. The course covers international law, human rights and women’s rights, Islamic attitudes (including towards women) and the rights of the family, focusing on the role and equality of women in contemporary Afghan society.

Air Force

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) outflow and (b) inflow was for RAF (i) engineer (aerosystems) officers and (ii) aircraft tradesmen in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The outflow and inflow figures available for RAF Engineer (Aerosystems) officers and aircraft tradesmen, for each financial year, are set out in the following tables:
	The inflow targets during this period were adjusted in line with the requirement to reduce the regular strength of the RAF. The reduction in inflow was partly due to the reduced requirement for engineering personnel following the removal of aircraft fleets such as Harrier and Nimrod.
	The increase in outflow relates to the redundancy programme. As an organisation which recruits into the lower end of the rank structure, recruiting remains important to maintain a sustainable demographic.
	
		
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Outflow      
			 RAF Engineer (Aerosystems) n/a n/a 90 120 70 
			 Aircraft Tradesmen 600 610 1,080 1,160 950 
			       
			 Inflow      
			 RAF Engineer (Aerosystems) gain to trained strength n/a n/a 50 10 10 
			 Aircraft Tradesmen gain to trained strength 780 700 360 220 230 
			 Note: In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and our obligations in relation to the protection of confidentiality when handling personal data, data have been rounded to the nearest 10. To prevent systematic bias, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence will consider the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations where they are relevant and proportionate to the subject matter of the contract, and seeking best value for money in procurement.

HMS Illustrious

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the planned out-of-service date for HMS Illustrious has been brought forward; what the new date is; and who took the decision to change that date.

Philip Dunne: As first announced on 15 December 2010, Official Report, column 102WS, HMS Illustrious will retire from service this year. No final decision has been made on the specific date.
	HMS Ocean will shortly finish her extensive refit and take over as the Royal Navy’s landing platform helicopter ship.

ICT

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information and communications technology projects his Department has implemented (a) to the original deadline and on budget and (b) after the original deadline and over budget in the last 10 years.

Philip Dunne: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Medals Review

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his Department are working on the independent medal review by Sir John Holmes; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has three officials supporting the work of the independent medal review being conducted by Sir John Holmes.

Navy: Recruitment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the acceptable body mass index requirement is for an applicant to the Royal Navy;
	(2)  whether applicants to the Royal Navy who meet an initial body mass index requirement of 28 face a different check at any other stage of the process.

Anna Soubry: The recommended Body Mass Index (BMI) guidelines for entry into service in the Royal Navy are in the table.
	Further assessment is by measurement of waist circumference: males with a BMI over 28 may join if their waist circumference is less than 94 cm; females may join if their waist circumference is less than 80 cm.
	The standards do not change during the application process but BMI is measured as part of the medical assessment, and results may differ from a candidates’ individual declaration and/or the outcome of the initial BMI check.
	
		
			 BMI (weight in kilograms/square of height in metres) 
			  Male and female:   
			 Age (years) Minimum Maximum Male maximum with additional assessment Female maximum with additional assessment 
			 18+ 18 28 32 30 
			 16 to <18 17 27 27 27

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 940W, on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, whether UK personnel at Creech Airforce base will remain embedded following the cessation of NATO International Security Force missions in Afghanistan.

Mark Francois: There are no longer any RAF personnel embedded with 432nd Wing of the US Air Force at Creech Airforce base.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels: Carcinogens

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the annual amount of carcinogens that are released by biofuels activity in the UK.

Robert Goodwill: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Transport.
	The Department for Transport has not made any annual estimates of carcinogens that are released by biofuels activity. These data are not required to meet the mandatory sustainability criteria under the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED), which is applicable to biofuels supplied in the UK under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).
	Voluntary schemes approved by the European Commission can set criteria for aspects of biofuel production aimed at minimising adverse environmental impacts associated with agricultural production, including on air quality, in addition to setting sustainability criteria. In 2012-13, 81% of biofuel supplied in the UK under the RTFO was covered by an approved voluntary scheme, the vast majority of which include additional aspects aimed at minimising the impact on air quality of the cultivation and harvesting of biofuel feedstocks.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Air Quality Expert Group has considered the potential impacts of increased biofuel use on air pollutants, such as particulate matter, and concluded that these should fall with most biofuel uptake scenarios. The Group’s Report “Road Transport Biofuels: Impact on UK Air Quality”, is published at:
	ixhttp://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/110322_AQEG_Biofuels_advice_note.pdf
	In respect of the biofuel supply chain, the European Commission produced a staff working document accompanying its renewable energy progress report to the European Parliament in 2013, which is published at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/energy/renewables/reports/doc/swd_2013_0102_res_en.pdf
	It concluded that between 2008 and 2010, there was limited change in threats to air quality from EU biofuel demand.

Boilers: Government Assistance

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to incentivise off-gas homes to install modern condensing boilers.

Gregory Barker: The Government fully recognise that LPG and oil, like other fossil fuels, will continue to play a part in the UK's energy mix, but we must begin to revolutionise the way we heat our homes to make the transition to a low carbon economy. To this end, DECC has introduced the domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme to support renewable heating systems. The domestic RHI is targeted predominately at off- gas-grid households, by compensating for the additional costs faced when replacing an oil boiler with a renewable heating system. New incentives for oil and LPG boilers would undermine the balance struck in the design of the RHI, and potentially cause confusion for consumers.
	For more vulnerable customers, support for condensing boilers will remain available through the energy company obligation. DECC has proposed changes that will strengthen the support for off-grid properties.

Energy Act 2013

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department plans to publish its strategy and policy statement as set out in the Energy Act 2013.

Michael Fallon: I plan to consult on the draft strategy and policy statement this summer. Once we have considered any responses the statement will be designated following parliamentary approval as set out in the Energy Act 2013.

Fossil Fuels: Algeria

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much oil and gas was imported to the UK from Algeria in the last period for which figures are available.

Michael Fallon: In 2013, the UK imported 6,200 tonnes of crude oil from Algeria, and 4,500 GWh of gas. Total UK imports were 50,300 tonnes of crude oil and 525,000 GWh of gas. Data for 2013 are rounded to the nearest hundred and are provisional.

Fuel Oil: Rural Areas

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund on people who live in rural areas and rely on oil-fired central heating.

Gregory Barker: The Government want to encourage all householders to invest in energy efficiency, whether rural or urban. The Green Deal Home Improvement Fund is designed to incentivise householders in England and Wales to install a wide range of energy efficiency measures, such as insulation and better glazing. Many rural properties have solid walls, making them well placed to take maximum advantage of the scheme—such households could be eligible to receive up to £6,000 for installing solid wall insulation, or up to £7,000 for installing solid wall insulation and two other eligible measures.
	However, DECC does consider it appropriate to exclude oil and LPG fired boilers from the GDHIF scheme. The Government fully recognise that LPG and oil, like other fossil fuels, will continue to play a part in the UK’s energy mix, but we must begin to revolutionise the way we heat our homes to make the transition to a low carbon economy. To this end, DECC has introduced the domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme to support renewable heating systems; this support aims to compensate householders for the additional costs they face when installing a renewable heating system compared to an oil heating system. The domestic RHI is targeted at, but not limited to, homes off the gas grid. Incentivising oil and LPG boilers in this context would undermine the balance struck in the design of the RHI, and potentially cause confusion for consumers. For low income and vulnerable customers, support is available through the affordable warmth element of the energy company obligation. Through this, energy suppliers deliver heating cost reductions in eligible off-gas and on-gas-grid households through the provision of any measures which will reduce costs. We have proposed changes to ECO which will actively incentivise suppliers to deliver measures to non-gas-fuelled households.

Green Deal Scheme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason householders converting to higher efficiency natural gas condensing boilers are eligible for help under the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund, but householders in rural areas converting to higher efficiency oil or liquid petroleum gas condensing boilers are not eligible.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Monmouth (David T. C. Davies) on 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 21W.

Natural Gas: Storage

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment on the implications for his policy on the need for additional gas storage in the UK of the statement on 16 May 2014 of the EU Energy Commissioner that the gas security of supply directive should be amended to increase the minimum quantity of gas that member states are obliged to store.

Michael Fallon: The Energy Commissioner’s statement predates the EU Energy Security Strategy on 28 May 2014, which sets out the position on this issue and is available at:
	http://ec.europa.eu/energy/security_of_supply_en.htm
	The EU Energy Security Strategy does not call for additional gas storage, nor minimum quantities of gas, to be held in storage by member storage. Rather, it proposes ‘stress tests’ to security of supply shocks which could include, if necessary, increasing gas stocks in Europe among other measures.
	We will engage with any stress test process and consider the implications for our approach to gas security arising from the results. It also sets out a wide range of other measures, highlighting that storage is only one aspect of gas security.

Natural Gas: Storage

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy on the need for additional gas storage capacity in the UK of recent events involving Russia and Ukraine; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: We have no plans to reassess the need for additional gas storage capacity in the UK in the light of events between Russia and Ukraine. The Department commissioned from Redpoint Energy analysis on the case for Government support for additional gas storage in the UK, which was published in September 2013. This cost-benefit analysis did not support intervention to deliver additional gas storage capacity due to a combination of low risk, poor rates of return for the taxpayer, and the risk of unintended consequences within the market.
	Disputes between Russia and Ukraine affecting gas supply to Europe do not change this stance. Previous analysis has demonstrated that the UK gas market is resilient to all but the most unlikely combination of high-demand conditions and supply disruption. The UK has a diverse range of gas suppliers and routes to market and receives less than 1% of its gas from Russia.

Nuclear Reactors

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to support the development of a small module reactor in the UK.

Michael Fallon: The Government's continuing priorities are to ensure that the 16GW of new nuclear capacity so far proposed by industry for deployment by 2030 remains on track and to create the right conditions for a long-term programme of nuclear power as part of the UK's cost-effective low carbon energy mix.
	In addition to making further progress on the conventional new nuclear programme, the Government are also assessing the possible contribution that SMRs could make to the UK energy mix and potential high- value commercial opportunities for UK firms. The Government have therefore commissioned a feasibility study to investigate and identify the scale of the opportunity presented by SMRs. The study is being conducted by an industry consortium led by the National Nuclear Laboratory and will propose recommendations to the Government for taking this forward in summer 2014, reporting in the first instance to the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board. These recommendations will inform the evidence base for the Government's policy decisions on their approach to SMRs.

Wind Power: Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of a potential link between wind farms and tidal patterns in north Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department has not carried out a specific assessment on the potential link between offshore wind farms and tidal patterns in north Wales.
	The Department does undertake a programme of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) for offshore energy technologies which identifies and addresses relevant environmental issues at a strategic level. At a project level, developers are required to undertake environmental impact assessments through the planning system, and development consent will not be granted if significant effects on the environment cannot be mitigated.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Domestic Violence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will revise her Department's guidelines to the Metropolitan Police on whether domestic violence cases should be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service before prosecutions can be initiated by the police; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The coalition Government takes the issue of domestic violence and abuse extremely seriously. That is why in 2013, the Home Secretary commissioned HMIC (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary) to undertake a comprehensive review on how the police deal with domestic violence and abuse and is chairing a National Oversight Group, on which I also sit, to oversee the delivery of HMIC’s recommendations. Following the publication of HMIC’s report, the College of Policing is updating its authorised professional practice for officers on domestic abuse.
	The Metropolitan Police Service uses national CPS guidelines when referring cases for prosecution. The Director of Public Prosecution’s Guidance on Charging clearly advises both police officers and prosecutors that the CPS will charge all domestic violence cases where the appropriate evidential standard has been met. The CPS is also currently revising its domestic violence policy—a revised policy was published for consultation on 14 May 2014. The CPS is also working closely with the police to assess how the criminal justice response can be improved together with the police consideration of the HMIC review.

Immigration Controls

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the average waiting times at the UK border for the last three years at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick, (c) Stansted, (d) Manchester, (e) Birmingham and (f) Luton airports.

Karen Bradley: The yearly average queue times for passengers arriving at the primary checkpoint to be admitted into the UK are set out in the following table. All meet service level agreement targets, which are below 25 minutes for European Economic Area (EEA) passengers and below 45 Minutes for non-EEA passengers.
	
		
			 Average Passenger Queue Times (hr:min) 
			  2011 2012 2013 
			 Port EEA NonEEA EEA NonEEA EEA NonEEA 
			 Heathrow TN1 00:05 00:13 00:03 00:08 00:02 00:05 
			 Heathrow TN3 00:06 00:19 00:03 00:11 00:02 00:09 
			 Heathrow TN4 00:04 00:22 00:02 00:11 00:02 00:08 
			 Heathrow TN5 00:06 00:21 00:04 00:13 00:04 00:09 
		
	
	
		
			 Gatwick North 00:03 00:05 00:03 00:05 00:02 00:04 
			 Gatwick South 00:04 00:07 00:03 00:05 00:02 00:03 
			 Stansted 00:13 00:20 00:07 00:10 00:06 00:09 
			 Manchester TN1 00:09 00:15 00:10 00:17 00:09 00:15 
			 Manchester TN2 00:10 00:19 00:09 00:16 00:08 00:15 
			 Manchester TN3 00:08 00:14 00:15 00:23 00:11 00:16 
			 Birmingham 00:07 00:11 00:06 00:09 00:05 00:09 
			 Luton 00:09 00:09 00:08 00:08 00:07 00:09 
			 Note: The figures quoted above are management information subject to internal quality checks and may be subject to change.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the meaning is of the phrase ‘responder hub’ as used in a communication from her Department to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman); and if she will instruct her staff to use clearer and more comprehensible English in their communications with hon. Members and the public.

Karen Bradley: The UK Visas and Immigration teams which lead on responding to correspondence from Members of Parliament are geographically grouped into eight offices at the following sites; Croydon, Westminster, Cardiff, Solihull, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Glasgow. Each office is described as a ‘responder hub' because it may deal with correspondence from outside the immediate geographical area.
	Officials are reviewing how teams are described externally in response to feedback from customers.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 2 May 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) with regard to Mrs Amila Dar.

James Brokenshire: I wrote to the right hon. Gentleman on 16 June 2014.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 2 May 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) with regard to Mr RO Estemogbo.

James Brokenshire: I wrote to the right hon. Gentleman on 16 June 2014.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 6 May 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) with regard to Mrs Bernioe Cssai Ogunribido.

James Brokenshire: I wrote to the right hon. Gentleman on 12 June 2014.

Verne Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse has been of the conversion of HM Prison The Verne into an immigration removal centre.

Karen Bradley: £5.4 million has been spent to date on the conversion of HM Prison The Verne into an Immigration Removal Centre.

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parliamentary questions tabled to her Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

Karen Bradley: Seven questions did not receive a substantive reply by the time of prorogation 2014.
	The tabling dates for these questions are as follows:
	9 April 2014
	8 May 2014
	26 March 2014
	24 March 2014
	2 May 2014
	2 May 2014
	9 May 2014

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty: Scotland

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to devolve air passenger duty to Scotland.

Nicky Morgan: Beyond the powers in the Scotland Act 2012, the Government have no plans for further devolution of tax powers to Scotland until the referendum on Scottish independence has been settled.
	Budget 2014 announced the reform of air passenger duty with the abolition of bands C and D from 1 April 2015. This will eliminate the two highest rates of air passenger duty charged on flights to countries over 4,000 miles from Britain, cutting tax for millions of passengers travelling to China, India, Brazil and many other emerging markets. This will mean that flights to South Asia and the Caribbean will pay tax at the lower band B rate.

Business: Loans

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on extending the FCA’s powers to include regulatory powers over tailored business loans;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has given to the Financial Conduct Authority on its remit in relation to tailored business loans.

Andrea Leadsom: Treasury Ministers and officials meet a wide range of organisations as part of the usual policy making process.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
	It is important to recognise that business lending is not, and never has been, within the scope of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) conduct rules.
	I understand that Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks have agreed to review the sale of those tailored business loans with features comparable to stand-alone structured collars, simple collars and caps, notwithstanding the fact that they are strictly outside the scope of the FCA’s review into the mis-selling of interest rate hedging products.

Child Benefit: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families whose head of household was (a) a Polish, (b) a Lithuanian, (c) a Latvian, (d) a Czech, (e) a Slovak, (f) a Portuguese and (g) an Estonian national resident in the Peterborough city council area were in receipt of child benefit in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Nicky Morgan: This information is not available.

Children: Day Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what details parents will be required to provide for the quarterly reconfirmation process for tax-free child care; what measures will be in place to ensure that parents are reminded about the deadline for quarterly reconfirmation; and what provisions he will put in place in the event that parents fail to provide the necessary details for (a) one quarter and (b) more than one quarter.

Nicky Morgan: Details on the tax-free child care reconfirmation process were included in the Government's consultation response published on 18 March 2014, which set out how reconfirmation will enable a smooth customer journey while protecting the scheme from error and fraud.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Andrea Leadsom: In common with other Government Departments the Treasury has diversity targets for its workforce (gender, ethnicity and disability), monitors progress and implements diversity initiatives where appropriate.
	
		
			 HM Treasury diversity targets for its senior civil service (SCS) 
			 Group Target (%) 
			 Women 42 
			 BME 5 
			 Disability 5 
		
	
	
		
			 HM Treasury’s diversity targets for its employees below the SCS 
			 Group Target (%) 
			 Women Range E 50 
			 Women Range D 50 
			 BME Range E 14 
			 BME Range D 18 
			 Disability Range E 6 
			 Disability Range D 8 
		
	
	On progress against the targets, the Treasury publishes information on the proportion of its employees by gender, ethnicity and disability by each civil service pay scale. The most recent information, March 2013, is in HM Treasury’s “Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13”, page 43, available on the Treasury’s external website.
	The March 2014 data will be published in the “Annual Report and Accounts” 2014 in due course.

Equal Opportunities

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Andrea Leadsom: In July 2013 HM Treasury's procurement functions transferred to the Crown Commercial Service (CCS—formerly the Government Procurement Service, GPS). HM Treasury decides selection criteria and weightings for procurements based on advice from CCS.
	The selection criteria and weightings in the procurement procedures used by CCS are not fixed, but vary from project to project. UK public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector procurers are required to assess value for money from the perspective of the contracting authority using criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract, including compliance with the published specification.
	Diversity policies and records of businesses can be taken into account at tender evaluation stage if they relate directly to the subject matter of a contract from the point of view of the contracting authority.
	The Treasury's procurements are evaluated against response guidance provided to bidders as part of Invitations to Tender (ITT) or Requests for Quotes (RFQ). Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the tenders issued and contracts they award with a value over £10,000 (excluding VAT):
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
	Selection criteria and weightings applied in procurements form part of the information published.

Film: Tax Allowances

Harriet Harman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of (a) the total amount paid out in film tax relief and (b) the resultant benefit to the UK economy as a result of such tax relief since 2007; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC data indicate that between January 2007 and March 2013, over 1,200 film productions have claimed £1.3 billion of tax relief.
	According to the Office of National Statistics and the BFI, the film and video production industry generates around 46,000 jobs and film investment is over £1 billion a year.
	To support this important sector the Government have modernised film tax relief and extended the relief to animation, high-end television and video games.
	The BFI statistics for 2013 show that these reforms are working, with an increase in overall UK film investment, and that the new TV and animation tax reliefs have supported growth in production in the UK.

Highways Agency

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 8 May 2014, Official Report, column 298W, on Highways Agency, what the (a) criteria and (b) procedures are for considering the extension of the provisions of section 41(3) of the VAT Act 1994 to a new body.

David Gauke: Section 41(3) of the VAT Act 1994 applies to Government Departments and health authorities. It is governed by a Treasury Direction. Any extension of the provisions is a matter for Treasury Ministers.

Infrastructure

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which infrastructure projects have accessed the UK Guarantees Scheme; and how much funding was issued in each such case.

Danny Alexander: Three guarantees and one stand-by facility have been signed under the UK Guarantees Scheme, with a total value of £1,090,800,000. This includes Drax Power (£75 million), Sustainable Development Capital-UK Energy Efficiency Investment Funds (£8.8 million), Northern Line Extension (£750 million) and Mersey Gateway Bridge (£257 million).
	Any guarantees signed are reported to Parliament as required by the legislation, Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Act 2012, underpinning the Scheme and can also be found on the gov.uk website.

Insurance

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the contribution to economic growth of payment protection insurance repayments.

Andrea Leadsom: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The effects of payment protection insurance repayments were taken into account in their latest forecast of the economy, published in the March 2014 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Minimum Wage: North East

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many employers registered in (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (b) the Sunderland local authority area and (c) the North East region have been the subject of enforcement action for paying employees less than the national minimum wage in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many complaints have been made against employers registered in (a) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (b) the Sunderland local authority area and (c) the North East region for paying employees less than the national minimum wage in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC enforces the national minimum wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and has done so since the introduction of NMW in April 1999. It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, and carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.
	HMRC does not capture complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to Government regions, constituencies or county. Its management information relates to the work of teams who are multi-located. Additionally, because it resources to risk, work relating to a specific geographical area is not always done by the NMW team based in that area.
	Prior to 6 April 2009, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued penalty notices to those employers who failed to comply with an enforcement notice, within 28 days. A new enforcement regime, introduced in April 2009, saw the introduction of automatic penalties for employers who are found to have underpaid their workers.
	I refer the hon. Lady to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) on 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 110W, which gives the number of completed inspections and number of non-compliant cases across the UK in the financial years 2009/10 to 2013/14.

North Sea Oil

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding for the extraction of North sea oil has come from (a) the Government, (b) the Scottish Government and (c) the private sector in each year from 1984.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
	Government Departments and agencies, including notably the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessor Departments, have for many years supported research aimed at identifying UK hydrocarbon potential and finding ways of finding and extracting it more cost-effectively. Comprehensive records of the amount spent on such activities by year across Government are not available.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have detailed information on the annual expenditure of the Scottish Government.
	Estimates of total annual pre-tax expenditure in £ billions by the private sector on finding and developing UK hydrocarbons (oil and gas, in the North sea as well as elsewhere in the UK and on the UK Continental Shelf) for the period 1984 to 2013 are given in the following table. More detailed information through to 2012 is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-uk-field-data#ukcs-income-and-expenditure
	
		
			  £ billion 
			 1984 6.3 
			 1985 6.5 
			 1986 5.6 
			 1987 5.0 
			 1988 5.3 
			 1989 6.1 
			 1990 8.0 
			 1991 10.4 
			 1992 10.2 
			 1993 9.5 
			 1994 8.5 
			 1995 9.4 
			 1996 9.4 
			 1997 9.6 
			 1998 9.9 
			 1999 7.8 
			 2000 7.5 
			 2001 8.3 
			 2002 8.6 
			 2003 8.2 
			 2004 8.4 
			 2005 9.9 
			 2006 12.0 
			 2007 12.4 
			 2008 13.1 
			 2009 13.3 
			 2010 14.9 
			 2011 18.3 
			 2012 21.8 
			 2013 25.8

Private Finance Initiative

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to introduce a clause into private finance initiative contracts to limit the ability of contractors to move offshore.

Danny Alexander: The Government are committed to effective anti-avoidance rules to ensure that profits arising on UK activities are not artificially diverted to low tax jurisdictions. At the same time, they needs to ensure that the tax system is competitive for all companies and have set out their plans to make the UK an attractive place to do business while retaining proportionate anti-avoidance protection.
	UK-resident PFI contractors, regardless of their shareholders' registered jurisdiction, will be charged UK corporation tax on profits earned within the UK. To limit the freedoms properly available to investors would be anti-competitive and contrary to European Union law. These points are not unique to the private finance initiative (PFI) but apply equally to non-PFI companies and investors.

Self-employed

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are registered as self-employed in each region and constituent part of the UK.

David Gauke: Estimates of the number of individuals with self-employment sources for each region of the UK in the year 2011-12 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Region Number of self-employed(Thousand) 
			 North East 158 
			 North West and Merseyside 497 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 402 
			 East Midlands 352 
			 West Midlands 418 
			 East of England 556 
			 London 883 
			 South East 844 
			 South West 559 
			 Wales 240 
			 Scotland 368 
			 Northern Ireland 177 
			 Address abroad 34 
			 All UK 5,490 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes for 2011-12, which is the latest year available.

Thames Tideway Tunnel

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the ability of Thames Water to service the costs of building the proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Danny Alexander: The Government’s Reasons for Specification Notice, published on 5 June 2014, explains in detail why the Government believe that the project is of a scale and complexity that would threaten Thames Water’s ability to provide services to its customers. Paragraphs 21 to 35 provide this explanation.
	The Reasons Notice is available from the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thames-tideway-tunnel-project-specification-and-preparatory-work-notices

Thames Tideway Tunnel

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial risk assessment he has carried out in respect of offering guarantees for the proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Danny Alexander: The Government have not proposed a guarantee for the Thames Tideway Tunnel. They have instead put in place a package of contingent financial support designed to cover low probability but high impact risks, prioritising the delivery of value for money for both taxpayers and customers. Further details are provided by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson) in a Written Ministerial Statement on 5 June 2014.
	This statement is published in Hansard at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm140605/wmstext/140605m0001.htm#14060532000008

Welfare Tax Credits

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value was of tax credits paid to claimants who were (a) out of work, (b) self-employed and (c) employed in each of the last five years.

Nicky Morgan: The following table is based on finalised tax credits administrative data for each financial year. The latest data available are for 2012-13.
	
		
			 £ million 
			   Total entitlement for households who are classified as ‘in work' 
			 Tax year Total entitlement for households who are classified as ‘out of work' Households who are classified as self-employed only Households who are classified as employed only Households who are classified as both employed and self- employed 
			 2008-09 6,811 2,376 14,315 1,615 
			 2009-10 7,486 2,780 15,260 1,845 
			 2010-11 7,606 3,036 15,908 1,992 
			 2011-12 8,138 3,327 15,730 2,009 
			 2012-13 8,936 3,420 15,256 2,007 
		
	
	Data from ONS Labour Market statistics show that self-employment as a proportion of total UK employment has been growing since around 2003 and is part of a long-term trend.